X Days -Threads that Bind-
by Hyoxjnn
Summary: Those who hurt the most often say the least. Amidst the struggles of the Reapers' Game, a guilt-ridden girl is drawn into a city-spanning mystery as she avoids the enclosing Reaper forces. Meanwhile, her friends struggle to overcome themselves, desperate to keep the threads between them bound tight. [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] [Sequel to -Marked-] [Prequel to X Days]
1. Chapter I: Reunion

**Quick note: This story follows X Days -Marked-**

**You don't _need_ to read -Marked-, though you will miss some context/encounter some spoilers.**

**With that, let us begin.**

* * *

**Chapter I: Reunion**

"Ach. Still stings, Yukes," Charlotte Kurogami whined, rubbing where the gaping hole in her torso used to be. "Could ya spare another Cure Drink?"

"You're imagining it, Kurogami," Jun Yukimura replied, shaking his head as they passed Ramen Don. "Let's focus on getting to the meeting on time, yes? The Merchant is a busy man."

"Geh. I almost bit it, lad. Life flashed before my eyes and all that." The girl's high-pitched, sing-song voice flowed rhythmically, accentuated by the foreign inflection from her Scottish half. "Y'almost lost me fer good, Yukes. Show a little concern for a delicate flower like me, ken?" she simpered, grinning obnoxiously.

"You are neither of those things," Yukimura snorted. "And I do care, thank you; pulled you out of the Drake's fire and everything." He raised a palm, continuing to walk without looking back at the girl. "Not that I would've _had_ to, if you were a little more _careful-"_

"You're right, you're right. Regular hero, y'are," Charlotte chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender. "Let's not spend _another_ ten minutes tellin' me off, eh? I'm not a child, ken," she joked.

Yukimura stopped walking for a moment. He drew a breath, then nodded, turning to face Charlotte. "Yeah. You're right. You know what you're doing. Sorry."

"Oh, uh," Charlotte raised her eyebrows, caught off-guard. "N- no, it's alright. Just jokin', y'know."

Yukimura looked down for a moment, nodding to himself. "Well. You do, though." Facing forwards once more, he continued walking. Charlotte trailed behind, falling quiet. _Ugh. He's doin' it again._ Unease and discomfort flickered across the girl's face; her eyes shifted around, not focusing on anything in particular. The two passed Cosmic Corner.

"Hey," Charlotte spoke up, her voice full of vigour. "I heard that store has a skirt called 'Love in a Heartbeat'. D'you think if I bought it, I'd find true love?" she grinned.

"I don't think the owner's willing to sell it, unfortunately," Yukimura answered curtly. Charlotte fell silent for a second time; her bubbliness evaporated. She hesitated, wanting to ask something else. Something that had been on her mind…

Before she could make her move, however, Yukimura spoke. "Anyway. We're here," he announced, checking his watch. "Quite a bit early. That's good." He turned to face her. "Shall we wait on him?"

"… Sounds good," Charlotte half-forced a grin. The pair stood quietly outside the empty Concert Stage. The morning sun's reach stopped midway through the district; Charlotte soaked it in, stretching her arms and welcoming the morning with a contemplative expression. Yukimura, meanwhile, simply observed her from the shade of the building. Nary a soul passed by the street, and aside from the distant, busy sounds of people going about their day from the direction of 104, the air was almost… peaceful. A rare, quiet moment of sereni-

"Yo, Yukes," Charlotte spoke, shattering the silence as carelessly as a child knocking a vase over.

"… What's up, now?"

"I was just thinkin'. What if ya _did_ only have seven minutes left?"

Yukimura took a moment to register the question; he shook his head. "… What are you getting at, Kurogami?"

"Y'know," Charlotte made a point of shrugging, "if I got Erased, and ya had to find another Partner."

"… I don't see the point of discussing that," he replied stiffly.

"Ya just got done haverin' about me not bein' cautious or whatever-"

"'Cautious or whatever', hm?" Yukimura smiled thinly. "Glad to know that you were listening so intently."

"Look, canny lad, you're always sayin' that I should 'follow the plan', aye?" Charlotte threw her hands up as she made the jab; her voice bounced and dipped as she spoke, emphasising every word. "I just wanna know. Let's say that I was the one flattened into panbread. What would ya do?"

"Like I said earlier. If I get Erased," Yukimura repeated, "you make a dash for Hachiko, yelling out that you need a Partner as you go; if you're lucky en-"

"Thass not what I asked, Yukes," Charlotte cut him off, dropping her playful tone. "I want to know what _you'd_ do."

Yukimura fell silent for a moment, staring hollow-eyed at the girl. "What do you mean?"

"Honestly… you've had me worried ever since ya got Kensei to take over as the team leader," Charlotte confessed.

"What's wrong with Kensei?"

"What's wrong with _you?"_

Yukimura pressed his lips together, apathetically leaning against the building. "He's responsible, even if he doesn't always act it. More importantly, the team is fond of him; he can rally everyone efficiently."

"Nobody had an issue with you, Yukes."

"You say that, but-"

"Yeah, I do say that. Obviously there're gonna be a couple or three here and there that might not gel with ya, but," Charlotte frowned and exhaled, getting slightly worked up. "That's no reason to resign."

"Kurogami…" Yukimura broke eye contact, looking down at the ground. His expression was neutral; unreadable on the surface, but… "I'm-… Kensei is a good-"

"I'm not asking about _Kensei, _Jun. I'm asking about _you."_ The frustration was evident in her voice. The girl's usual upbeat expression was replaced by one of saddened worry. "You're suffering. I can _tell_ that you're suffering because I'm yer Partner. Because I'm yer _friend._ What happened to ya? You've become so… distant, lately. Sometimes ya just… get all quiet," Charlotte shook her head with a pained expression, "ya take everything way too seriously. Ya look like you're gonna _cry,_ ken. I… I don't like it."

"This is the Reapers' Game, Charlotte," he replied simply. A faint spark of frustration lit up on his face for a split-second before being snuffed out. "It's life or death here. Of course I'm going to be like this."

"Yeah, but ya _weren't_ like this until recently," Charlotte pressed, the desperation bleeding through as she raised her voice a small amount. "You say 'life or death', but we've _barely_ been takin' up Missions lately. Look at your Timer," she insisted, pointing to his hand.

_05:41:43:32…_

_05:41:43:31…_

_05:41:43:30…_

"You have less than a _week_ left, Jun! We _need_ Time ta win the Game, so why the hell're we lettin' it tick away like this? It's like we're not even _tryin'_ ta win-"

"I'm _sick_ of it, Kurogami. That's what it is," Yukimura raised his voice, finally showing some emotion; his expression shifted from restrained calm to irritated scorn. "I'm sick of fighting to accrue enough Time to escape the UG. I'm sick of risking my life every other day! I'm sick of this damn _Game,_ Charlotte!" The man shook, surprising even himself with his outburst. His hands balled into fists, which were promptly shoved into his pockets. "It's easy to survive in the UG. It's easy to survive in the Game, but it's impossible- nigh _impossible_ to win." Yukimura stopped. A few breaths served to calm the man somewhat, but he found himself no less anguished. "I don't mean to belittle Katy's own suffering," he spoke carefully, "and I know that she's in the same boat as us now, but she had it _easy_ the first time around," he spat. "All she had to do was survive one week. _One_ week. Us?" The man chuckled, almost finding it funny. He didn't feel frustrated anymore. He just felt exhausted. "Earn Time by clearing Missions. And the amount of Time needed to win? One Year. One Year on our Timers to win. Until then, we're stuck here. What a joke," he scoffed; his voice was low, now. Emotionless.

"It's not a jok-"

"It _is,_ Kurogami. We've both been playing since the start. We were Dead _before_ the Game began. And how much Time have you accrued?"

"…"

"Two Months." He didn't even need to look at her Timer. He knew. "You have two months, about the same as I did before I resigned as leader. Ah, and how long is it again, that we've been playing? How long did it take us to earn that two Months?"

"I ken how you feel, Yukes…" Charlotte mumbled, subconsciously wrapping her arms around herself.

"No. I'm sorry, but you don't," Yukimura smiled bitterly. "How could you understand how I feel, with your Entry Fee? You can't. It's not your fault," he added, gritting his teeth. "It's not your fault. But you _can't_ understand."

Charlotte said nothing. It was true, she couldn't understand exactly how he felt. She couldn't feel the exact same frustration and torment that she now saw he so clearly had been carrying. She could only feel the pain and hurt of seeing her friend in such a state. "So… what did you wanna do, then…?"

"… I don't know," he shrugged, his expression blank. "I'm burning through my Timer much quicker than you are, with how I'm spending it. But I also don't really care, if I'm being honest. Part of me thinks that I'll kick into gear when I'm getting close to zero, that being so close to Erasure will jump-start me into trying to live again. But even if I did, I've wasted so much of my Time already. It'll take me just as long as we've been playing to get back up to where you are now." Yukimura stopped talking. He checked his watch, remembering that they were waiting on a certain Merchant. The minutes felt like hours.

"And… the other part?" Charlotte asked.

"… What do you mean?" Yukimura looked back up, far past the point of caring about the meeting.

"What does the other part of you think? What happens if y'don't 'kick into gear' when your Timer's about to run dry?"

Yukimura took his longest silence yet, mixed feelings showing on his face. "I don't… want to drag you down, Kurogami. I don't want to drag _anyone_ down anymore. That's why I keep telling you: _If _I'm Erased, you need to find yourself a new Partner. You need to keep going. But as for me…" The man recalled what Charlotte has asked him earlier. "Being realistic? If you were Erased… I don't think I'd bother to find someone."

Charlotte's eyes widened. She felt like she finally understood how her Partner felt. But she needed to make sure. "You wouldn't find another Partner? Would you rather just… let it end there, Jun?"

"Yeah," he responded without hesitation. There was no fear in his voice. Only a broken kind of emptiness. "This Game is hell to me. In fact, if I didn't care about you surviving, I'd gladly take oblivion over suffering here any longer. You don't have to understand why I feel that way." He knew she wouldn't. That she couldn't. "Just that it is how I feel." And he knew that she would.

Just as the two fell silent for the last time, a well-kept man wearing a waistcoat appeared from around the corner, strolling into the district.

Yukimura and Charlotte glanced uncomfortably from the Reaper to each other, wondering if he had heard any of their argument.

"Well. He's here, So…" Yukimura muttered, moving to meet him halfway.

"Yukes…"

"It's alright, Kurogami," Yukimura assured. "We'll talk about it later." The man turned, looking his Partner in the eye. "I just… I want to say that I appreciate you dragging that out of me. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you. That I didn't open up. Thank you. I'm… I'm glad that you're my Partner, Charlotte."

Charlotte smiled thinly at the gesture, though her aquamarine eyes shone dull with sadness. "Yeah… of course, lad. It's no problem at all. We're mates, aren't we?"

Yukimura likewise managed to smile back. "Yeah. I'm grateful. Truly."

"Is there a problem?" the Merchant called out as he approached, preparing a briefcase of Pins for the pair.

Yukimura turned back to fully face him. "My apologies. Just a discussion between Partners. So, let's see what you have for us."

Charlotte watched on as Yukimura made his way to the Merchant, unaware of the looming danger. A single Harrier sat on the rooftop far above her… waiting for his moment to strike.

* * *

**_X Days -Threads that Bind-_**

* * *

The Player's bespectacled, hazel eyes glinted in the morning sun as she blended in with the mass of pedestrians, hiding in plain sight; her gaze shifted from side to side, scanning for potential threats as she strolled along. _One… no. Two Reapers at the end of the street._ The Support Reaper's gaudy red hoodie was easy enough to spot. And the man he was talking to, while lacking his own hoodie, did share one thing in common with the Red Hood: A shiny, black pair of wings. Unmistakably those of a Reaper. _No uniform. A Harrier, most likely,_ the Player noted. Next, examining the space right behind the conversing pair, she spotted a faint glint in the air. _A Wall. That could be troublesome._ The Player adjusted her light-blue newsboy cap, and double-checked the Existence Timer on her left palm.

_15:24:56…_

_15:24:55…_

_15:24:54…_

_Hm. Not going to last the day at this rate,_ she mused, jamming her hand back into her jeans pocket. Having a little over half a day left to live was by no means a comfortable place to be, but it was one that the Player was very used to. A Mission cleared here, a pack of Noise Erased there… She would be fine. As precious as Time was to Players in the Remixed Reapers' Game, it wasn't actually terribly difficult to earn.

_Wait._ A vague feeling of unease hit the girl, pulling her out of her contemplation. Without breaking her stride, she adjusted the shoulder strap of her messenger bag, and nonchalantly turned, making her way to the shade of the Towa Records store front. The next moment, she had bumped into someone. "_Ah…!" Takaharu…!_

Takaharu stumbled for a moment, but quickly righted himself. "Whoa, my bad. Wasn't watching where I was going," he apologised, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Are you oka-"

"Um, it's no trouble. Good day." With that brief apology of her own, the girl pulled the brim of her cap a little further down, and swiftly walked past Takaharu before he had a chance to say anything further. Just in time, in fact; as she moved onwards, she heard the exasperated voice of his Partner ring out.

"Takaharu, _what_ are you doing standing around in the middle of the street?" a girl's voice, about the same age as her Partner, rang out, stern and formal.

"Well- I mean, I wouldn't have bumped- come on, Emma. Basically everyone else here is in the RG!" Takaharu stumbled over his words, laughing before offering up his idea of an excuse.

"Right…" Emma Ishikawa sighed, not sounding entirely convinced. "Also, it's 'Ishikawa'. I'm done shopping, so if you're ready to join the others at…"

The voices of the pair faded as the girl with the cap walked out of earshot_. Ishikawa didn't see me, I don't think._ The girl frowned for a moment before relaxing. _Well, that's probably for the best anyway. She's more likely to recognise me. Probably would cause a scene, considering._ Fanning her face with her hand as she turned to rest her back against the outer wall of Towa Records, she cast her gaze back along the path she had walked. _I still have time before the recovery mission starts. I'd better hurry, all the same._ As she scanned the area, the source of her earlier uneasiness was found: Back the way she had come, a trio of Harriers were approaching from the Miyashita Park Underpass. The girl sighed inwardly. _A little early for a Patrol, isn't it…?_ No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she noticed one more: A fourth, floating Harrier, surveying the district from high above while her comrades did the same down below. _Can't let them see me._ The girl briefly considered ducking inside the record store, but just as quickly decided against it; if by chance the Patrol happened to search inside… well, being cornered in there wasn't exactly a thought she relished.

"Nah, I'm telling you, man! Yuzawa's only a Harrier 'cause he wants to be! Ain't no way he's not qualified to make Officer, don't you think?"

"Mmmm, yeah, I see your point. Kinda like Kariya in that way, huh?"

"Oh, for sure. Though they definitely like being out in the field for different reasons, you know?"

"Hah! Hundred percent."

The girl now turned her head to the closer end of the street; the Reapers by the Wall seems to be gossiping. _Their voices certainly do carry. They seem friendly enough, at least._ Back to the Patrol. _Maybe a couple of minutes before they reach here? Well, either way; better the Support and his friend than the Harrier Patrol._ Making her decision, she wasted no time in moving over to the duo.

"And yo, speaking of Officers, did you hear about this week's Game Mas- hm?" the Red Hood trailed off as he caught notice of the approaching Player. The Harrier, meanwhile, walked a few steps away, giving his friend space to do his job.

_Harrier seems to be the mindful type. Very kind._ "Good morn', Mr. Support," the girl smiled cheerfully, waving amicably before coming to a stop. "You've got a Wall up, yeah? Mind givin' a girl the conditions?"

The Red Hood opened his mouth, drawn in by the Player's affable nature, but stopped himself, looking around. "Uh… where's your Partner, missy?" he questioned, his voice now missing its cheerful energy.

"Oh, waitin' at the Scramble, actually," she laughed, slightly embarrassed. "We uh, had a li'l squabble earlier, so I took off. Kinda petty, I know, I know." The girl's palm slapped her forehead dead centre, as if to berate herself.

The Red Hood turned back to the Harrier, nodding to him before pulling out his phone. "What's your Partner's name, missy?"

"It's Kana. And I'm Hanako, by the way. Good to meetcha," the Player beamed, twirling a lock of her shoulder-length, black hair between her fingers.

"…"

"…"

"…"

… _He's looking at his Phone. _Hanako casually stole a backwards glance; the Patrol was closer now. A little _too_ close. "Sooo…" Twiddling her thumbs, she turned back to the Reaper. "Was givin' Kana's name the Wall condition, or…?" She laughed a little at her own joke.

"Hmmm." Finally looking up from his Phone. "Nah. We're just looking for someone, is all. What's your Partner look like?"

Hanako stopped for a moment, not expecting the question. "Er… Brunette? Hair in pigtails. Bright-blue denim jacket, like this one," she indicated to her sleeve, pulling on it, "elevator boots, shorts that are way too short, ahaha…" She laughed again, though this time it sounded slightly forced. "… You uh, might've seen her around here, maybe? She do somethin'?"

The Reaper said nothing, still staring at his phone.

Hanako moved to take another quick glance behind her, but quickly stopped herself. They were definitely close behind her now; she could feel it. _Better not risk it._

"Alright," he spoke up, finally. "Last question, if you got the time: What colour are her eyes?"

"Her eyes?" Hanako echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Like are they, say, violet?" he added, watching for the Player's reaction.

"Uh…" Surprise clearly showed on the girl's face. "No, they're plain ol' black. Violet's kinda fancy for an eye colour, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty rare," the Red Hood responded, still considering the Player's expression.

"…"

"… Okay, well. That'll be fine," he nodded, stowing his Phone away. "Wall clear!" Following his shout, the air shimmered and shined before settling. "Go on then, run along."

"Ah, thank you," Hanako recovered quickly, flashing the Red Hood a smile before trotting past him. _Now, to the Scramble…_

"Hey, hold up."

Hanako froze, stopped by the Red Hood's voice. The fight-or-flight instinct within the girl screamed at her to run for it, but… _Don't act so nervous._ Suppressing the urge, she turned to face the Reaper, plastering another friendly smile on her face. "Yeah? What's up?" The panic within her spiked as she caught sight of the Patrol, only a few paces away from where she had been standing. _Oh, they're…_ Luckily for Hanako, the three of them seemed to be questioning Takaharu and Ishikawa, too busy to take notice of her.

The Reaper scratched his temple, and after what felt like an eternity… "Make up with your Partner, okay? The Game's hard enough as it is without havin' playing alone."

Half a second passed as Hanako's brain caught up with what the Red Hood had just said. "Oh, yes! Thank you, I will," she managed to respond. With that, she resumed her course, walking a decent section of the street before turning into an alleyway to gather herself. _Closer than usual._ Hanako let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. _Can't be careless. That could've gone a lot worse, if the Support wasn't so understandin-_

"Hands up, Player."

"_!?"_ Hanako whipped around in shock-

_Bang!_

The muzzle flash from the Harrier's handgun burst a few metres away from Hanako's face, momentarily blinding her. A bullet whizzed by, cutting through a few strands of her black hair.

"I said 'hands up'!" The Reaper barked, aiming at her quarry's face.

Hanako's mind kicked into overdrive. _The fourth Reaper! Of course she would have seen me from the air, how could I forget her?_

"You deaf? I have authority from the Conductor to Erase any non-cooperative Players, so raise those damn hands. Drop that bag, while you're at it."

_Forceful, but professional. She isn't bluffing._ "A- alright, I'm raising them," Hanako lowered her head a little, her voice shaky. _Did she notify the others? Or did she pursue me without bothering?_ she wondered, keeping one hand raised as she dropped her shoulder bag off to the side.

"Where's your Partner? Answer, or I'll shoot."

"The Scramble Crossing. I'm heading there right now." Hanako wrested back control of her voice, answering calmly.

"That's a ways away. Why'd you split up? Answer, or I'll shoot."

"We had a fight, that's all. May I ask what this is about, Miss Harr-"

"I'm asking the questions. Why'd you duck into this alley right after clearing the Wall? Answer, or I'll shoot."

_She certainly enjoys saying that._ "I'm… taking a shortcut to Cadoi City. From there, I'll continue to the Scramble," Hanako stumbled a little, unable to think of a better excuse.

"Really? Seems like you were trying to avoid our Patrol."

"I wasn't. Being away from your Partner isn't against the rules, Miss Harrier-"

_Bang!_

The muscles in Hanako's legs instinctively contracted for a moment, but there was no need; the warning shot had harmlessly hit the pavement at her feet. The Player's hazel eyes silently stared into the Harrier's. _Trigger-happy type, isn't she? I don't think the Patrol would've heard from this distance, at least._ As she thought of her next move…

"Take off your hat."

"Excuse me?" Hanako's heart rate spiked, but otherwise, she did nothing.

"Take off your hat. Look at me properly when I'm speaking to you."

"… I can see you just fine, Miss Harrier. Could you please at least tell me why I'm bei-"

"Stop stalling, or I'll shoot. I'm giving you three seconds to take off your hat. Three. Two-"

"Alright, I'm taking it off…!" Hanako raised her voice a little, her eyes darting back and forth between the Reaper and the entrance to the alley behind her. Slowly and deliberately, she grasped the brim of her cap; her thumb securely pressed itself against the Pin she had stuck on its underside…

Noticing a change about the Player, the Reaper twitched. "Don't try anything funny," she warned, moving one hand to grab her Phone…

_Now. "Shockform: Vacuum,_" Hanako incanted.

Instantly, the Reaper's eyes went wide. She wordlessly grasped at her throat, fingers scrabbling as the Player crouched down and plunged a hand into her bag. The Reaper raised her gun.

"_!"_ Hanako kicked the ground, dodging to the side; the bullet soundlessly shot out of the barrel and hit the wall behind her. She had already grabbed what she needed, however. "_Psychokinetics,_" she commanded, yanking the choking Reaper's body downwards.

With a dull, muted thud, the Harrier's head collided with the concrete, knocking her out cold.

Hanako dispelled the Psychs, taking a breath. _Haven't used a Lvl. 3 in a while. Touching the Pin during the Psych really does ease the strain, at least_. It was too soon to rest, however. Moving quickly, the girl dragged the unconscious Harrier behind one of the alleyway's dumpsters, hiding her from sight; or at least, making her presence a little less obvious. Hanako's eyes flicked up to the alley entrance every few moments, praying that the rest of the Patrol wouldn't walk around the corner. _If I hurry, I'll be fine._ Rid of her pursuer, the girl slung the bag back over her shoulder, snapping it open and peering at the various articles inside; pulling the newsboy cap off her head, she decided to switch it for… _Let's go with the black beanie._ After the swap was complete, she stowed her glasses and jacket alongside the cap, leaving her in a sleeveless, black turtleneck. Making sure to secure the clasp on her bag, she pulled out her Phone. _Okay. Now, to the Scramble._ Hanako re-centred herself, noting the time as she swiftly made her way down the alley. _I'll make it in time. The recovery team shouldn't have any trouble anyway, but…_ Slipping the device back into her pocket, Hanako picked up the pace, running down the length of the side-street. After a couple of twists and turns, she could see it: The exit, and through it, Cadoi City.

Before she could reach it, however, someone else turned the corner, entering the alley; a young woman with blonde hair.

"_Hsst…!"_ Drawing a sharp breath between her teeth, Hanako slowed her pace to a leisurely stroll, adopting a relaxed, patient gait. The tension quickly evaporated, however, as her senses identified the girl. _Well, well. Just a teenager in the RG, it seems. You had me worried for a moment._ Resuming her more urgent jog, Hanako quickly passed by the blonde girl, her mind charting a route to the Scramble Crossing. _After Cadoi City, it's on to Shibu Dept. Store. If there's a Wall, I should have enough time to take the usual detour to Center St. Entrance, and then…_

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

The voice yanked Hanako out her planning. _What?_ For what felt like the fifth time today, she turned around; all she saw was the RG teenager, bafflingly. Nobody else was in sight. _Who just…?_

"Do I have your attention?" the blonde asked, tilting her head to the side a little. Her posture was relaxed as she looked upon Hanako, though her face had a hint of distaste on it.

Hanako on the other hand, was quite the opposite of relaxed. "… What?" Her eyes narrowed, furrowing her brow by a small amount. The word had soon followed, spilling from her mouth without consent. "You can see…?" She trailed off, well and truly thrown for a loop. _But she doesn't _feel _like a Soul in the UG. No wings either; is she hiding them…?_

"No, I'm not dead. I'm not a Reaper either. But, I can see you all the same. Katy."

'Hanako' froze, her mind going blank. Though a myriad of thoughts cascaded through her head, not a single one was coherent. Finally, after several, damning seconds of silence, she tried for a reply anyway. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure what you mean," she spoke slowly, still attempting to process the situation. "I think you may have mixed me up with someone. My name is Hanako." Never before had she felt herself speaking so stilted and unnatural. But then, she couldn't recall the last time she had been rattled like this, either; the last time she had been so thoroughly confounded by something as simple as a person calling out to her.

"Don't bother," the blonde cut her efforts down immediately. "You're Katy. The one that the Reapers, or specifically, the organisation behind the Reapers, CHECKMATE, is trying to track down." She sounded almost bored as she rattled off the list of facts, as if presenting a research project to a class. "And, in the Reapers' Game that took place before this one… you were the one Partnered with Magokoro Muki. Isn't that right?"

Hanako, or rather, for Katy stared deep into the blonde's green eyes. A cold breeze drifted through the alleyway. The chatter of pedestrians on the street behind seemed to fade into the distance as Katy held her gaze. Try as she might, she could not recall the young woman's face. There was only a vague feeling. A feeling that perhaps they had met before. Something so small. Something so indescribable.

* * *

**_New Day: Part I_**

* * *

… _Why-… _How _does she know all that?_ Out of all the questions screaming inside Katy's mind, that one in particular had screamed the loudest. She had completely lost track of what expression she was wearing now; the utter shock on her face was on full display. Eventually, she asked, "… What-… How can you see me, first of all?"

"There." The strange blonde extended a finger, answering in a curt, matter-of-fact manner. "The alley's marked with a Decal. See?"

After a moment's hesitation, Katy threw a quick glance upwards. Emblazoned upon the adjacent wall a few metres up was, indeed, a faded skull and crossbones design. _But… why a Decal in a place like this?_

The answer had only raised more questions, unfortunately.

"And," Katy drew the word out, the paranoid side of her mind jumping to the worst-case scenario. "You called me… 'Katy', was it? And you mentioned a couple of other names." Her hand casually slid over to her messenger bag as she spoke-

"I'm not here to fight."

Katy froze. Had her intent been read so easily…?

"And like I said: Don't bother. Changing up how you look might work with the Reapers, but not with me. You're definitely her."

"And who _would_ you be, then…?" Katy pressed, jumping at the chance.

"Doesn't matter right now. Sorry." Not very reassuring; her hurried tone seemed to convey that manners weren't quite a priority. "Now. I need your help."

Not quite what Katy was expecting.

The blonde continued. "I need you to speak to Getotsu Tezano. There's something very important that he needs assistance with. You need to-"

"Hold on- excuse me," Katy cut in as politely as she could manage, given how much was being thrown at her. "Getotsu Tezano?"

"The researcher. Kind, silver-haired man," the blonde elaborated patiently; a rare instance of emotion flitted across her face.

"And you know this 'Tezano' well?" Katy asked, still very reluctant to give any information away.

"We're acquainted. And I'm aware that you two are, as well."

_Right,_ Katy bit her lip, but refused to confirm.

"Since a little after Remixed Reapers' Game began. If I'm not mistaken."

_Also right._ Rattled, Katy distracted herself with another question. "Okay. Let's say I believe all of that. What does he need help with?"

"_That,_ you won't believe," the blonde replied unhesitatingly.

"Well. No harm trying me, is there?" Katy pressed, starting to feel frustrated at the blonde girl's games.

"Hm. It concerns Shibuya, in fact."

"Shibuya…? The whole city?" Katy recoiled, finding the answer as unbelievable as the blonde had described. "So… Do you mean to say the UG-"

"See? I'm stopping there. You'll only want to ask more questions. Better that Getotsu tell you the rest himself."

Katy eyed the blonde teenager before her, noting the informal way she had used his name. She considered her next move, still wary that the blonde could perhaps be some skilled Reaper. "… Well I must say," Katy paused, not knowing what to call the teenager before her, "… miss. It's a little jarring, you must understand, for me to be given such a request so suddenly by someone whom I've never met, but knows so much about me. By someone who knows what a Decal is…" she trailed off. Her finger nervously tapped against the Pin in her bag. _If not a Reaper, perhaps an Ex-Player? Is she really acquainted with Mr. Tezano? If so, why be so coy…?_ All sorts of questions. Katy tried to recall the last time she had directly spoken to Getotsu Tezano himself. As friendly as their relationship was, it occurred to her that it had been quite a while since she had made the time to visit him. It was certainly possible that he could have mentioned her name to another Player, but…

"Hey," the blonde spoke again, her no-nonsense tone cutting through Katy's thoughts. "Talk to Tezano. You'll understand. This is life or death. Okay?"

_No,_ Katy thought instinctively, _not nearly enough._ This blonde had even avoided giving a name; that alone was incredibly suspicious. Before she could vocalise that grievance, however, the blonde girl took the initiative once more.

"I'm short on time," she noted, gazing at her phone in a discontented manner. "Please talk to him. I need to leave."

"I'm sorry," Katy responded immediately, finding this new level of audacity oddly calming, "but I still don't know who you are. If you're acquainted with Getotsu Tezano as you say, what's to stop you from helping him yourself?"

"It has to be a Player like you. And I can't enter the Ruins, anyway."

"And why is that?"

"Look," her voice shifted, becoming a little more impatient. "Getotsu Tezano. Talk to him. As long as you don't forget what I've told you, you should be fine. Good luck." With that, the blonde pulled her braided hair off her shoulder, throwing it behind her with what seemed like irritation. She walked off-

"Wait!" Katy pulled out a Pin in a show of force. "Tell me who you are. If you really aren't on the Reapers' side, you can surely share your name!"

"Jane Doe," she replied, unconvincingly. "I'm sorry, but focus on what I've asked you to do, first-"

"No, _I'm_ sorry, but that's not good enough," Katy interrupted her. "You know about CHECKMATE? You know the name Magokoro Muki? I need to know where you heard about them. And if you attempt to run, I'll be following you until you give me answers. You may as well just tell me now," she added, insistent.

"… The recovery effort by the veterans to help new Players through the first Mission," the blonde spoke again, tugging absentmindedly at her long braid. "It's starting soon. You're going to abandon them?"

At this Katy felt a slight pang of guilt, but shook it off just as quickly. "There are plenty other experienced Players without me there. They'll manage."

"That's right," the blonde nodded, quietly agreeing. "I suppose you'd know them better than I. Though it seemed like Takaharu and Ishikawa were a little late, didn't it?"

Katy tensed up, caught off-guard once more.

"They were bickering a little when you passed by them earlier, weren't they? I'm curious. Were you upset that Takaharu didn't recognise you?"

Katy said nothing, though the pit in her stomach continued to deepen. _This is eerie. Has she been following me? If so, how long…?_

"But with that said, I'm sure that the others will still make do, as you say. The team has such capable Players, like Charlotte and Yukimura, for instance," the blonde continued, unruffled. "And with Kensei leading them, a few Noise shouldn't be an issue."

Katy's bit her lip as the blonde continued to casually recite the names of her friends. _Is she… Scanning me? That shouldn't be possible, should it?_

"Speaking of your friends," the blonde added, her tone slightly passive-aggressive now, "there was also Magokoro Muki himself, at one point. He was certainly your friend. As well as Hiro and Ko-"

"Stop." A surge of emotion shot through Katy. Her hand balled into a fist. The mention of the last two names in particular caused all sorts of biting, unpleasant memories to bubble up within her. "Alright," she conceded, her voice low and dry. "I understand that you have all of this information. I'm not disputing that. What is your point, please?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly with effort.

"I know what it's like, Katy. To be betrayed by someone you trust so closely," the blonde continued, narrowing her eyes on the girl. "Although I wasn't there in the Room of Reckoning with you back then, I can _very_ accurately imagine how you felt. The moment the person you cared about the most stabbed you in the back and tossed you aside. The moment he ran Koushi Tetsuyou through-"

"_Stop!"_ Katy shouted, losing her usual composure in an instant. The girl stared daggers into the blonde's eyes, her breathing now charged and heavy.

The blonde stared back, unperturbed. Suddenly, it almost seemed as though she was just as angry as Katy was.

_Calm down,_ a voice in the back of Katy's mind gently shook her. _That's not like you. Keep it together._ Restraining herself from saying anything until she was calm, the girl simply continued to stare at the blonde, biting into her lip again. After a little longer, her breathing slowed, and her emotions settled. "… So. What is your point in saying all of this?"

The blonde waited a moment, considering her words. "My point is," she spoke firmly, directing her green eyes at Katy, "that I need you to believe me. Clearly, I was overly optimistic in thinking you'd go along without question," she frowned. "So I'm going to tell you one more thing. One of your good friends? They're facing trouble right now. It could go very badly."

"What?" Katy's breathing hitched. "What do you-"

"If you want to help them," the blonde warned, brushing Katy off, "stick around the Scramble after the Noise have been cleared. That is, _if_ you believe me."

"Hold on-" Katy attempted to stop her again, but the blonde was already running back down the alleyway. "Stop! We aren't done!" Katy began to chase after her, but her legs quickly abandoned the cause. _Trouble? Who?_ She found herself stuck in place, unsure on whether to pursue the enigmatic young woman, or to heed her warning, and… _Rrgh. I don't like the feel of this._ Spinning on her heel, Katy focused on her original destination, sprinting towards the Scramble Crossing.

* * *

"_Pyrokinesis!_"

"_Velocity Booster!_"

"_Graviton Pulse!_"

"_Thunderbolt!_"

Psych after Psych flew across the battlefield, taking down Noise after Noise. For every two Erased, however, three more would take their place. The more talented newcomers had picked up Psychs rather well, and were now assisting in the defensive effort. Or at least, some of them were; others had simply Pacted, then ran for the hills; an understandable, if perceivably selfish, action. One such man tumbled to the ground, tripping over his own feet in his haste to escape his pursuer. Rolling over to see the Dixiefrog leaping at him, he threw up his arms and whimpered, anticipating the acidic touch of the Noise's form against his flesh…

"_Psychokinesis…!_" Ishikawa commanded, her Dragon Couture cheongsam and stole gracefully flowing around her as her swiped her arm to the side.

Launched across the Scramble Crossing by the girl's Psych, the attacking Dixiefrog squealed as it unwillingly crashed into one of its own comrades. The sound of static upon static fizzled out as the distressed pair of Noise screeched in harmony with each other, voicing their displeasure.

"_Seismic Shake!_" Takaharu whooped, slamming his foot onto the asphalt; earthen spires erupted from beneath the ground, skewering the Frogs in a second before crumbling away just as quickly. The twin Noises' dying screams faded into oblivion, alongside the wispy trails of static that accompanied their Erasure. "How was that, Emma?" he grinned, dusting his JotM coat off.

"It's 'Ishikawa'," she returned without looking. "Don't get cocky. There are quite a few of these things today." Just then, as if to reinforce her point, another Dixiefrog leapt at the girl. Ishikawa side-stepped. Whirling around, she pointed two fingers at the critter. "_Force Rounds!_" The energy rounds struck the Frog dead-on, Erasing it as quickly as it had arrived. "Are you hurt?" she spoke quickly, addressing the panicked, middle-aged man she had just saved.

"I'm f- fine. Thank you for-"

"Alright, if you can move, head to Hachiko; our friends will help you!" she instructed him immediately after confirming his condition.

"R- right!" Stumbling a little, the man got to his feet. After some running, he caught sight of a small group of Players in the distance. He picked up the pace, praying that he wouldn't be caught by another of those monsters before he could make it to safety.

_Bang!_

Ishikawa's next Psych tore through another three Frogs, instantly Erasing them. "Damn, what's with them today? They just won't quit…!" Preparing another Psych, she called out to a man with a red streak in his hair. "Hey, Leader! What's the strategy here?"

The chaotic scramble continued, unbeknownst to the citizens of the RG. Psychs and Noise alike flew left and right. This violent melee served as an introduction; a welcome party for the newest Players of the Remixed Reapers' Game. A true sink-or-swim moment to test your mettle, whether you had any place surviving in the UG.

"Uhhh… _P- Pyrokinesis!_" a frail-looking girl, her voice wobbling horribly, held her trembling hands out to one of the numerous Dixiefrog Noise advancing on her. The ground glowed red for a moment, but otherwise… nothing. Instead, something else took care of the threat.

"_Repulsor!_" With astoundingly good timing,Takaharu swooped in, aiming a Psych-enhanced kick at the Frog.

_Wham!_

A direct hit; the Dixiefrog flew far across the district like a ball launched during the kick-off of a gridiron game, exploding into static mid-air.

"You all good, kid? What's your name? Talk to me." The words flew out of Takaharu's mouth as he examined the girl for any wounds.

"Oh… It's S- Saya," she stammered, worriedly placing her hands on her chest. "The Psych. I couldn't…" she trailed off, visibly upset.

"It's okay!" Takaharu reassured, ruffling the young teen's hair. "I'm Taka. Just stick with me for now; I'll keep you safe, okay?" Takaharu flashed a caring smile.

"G- gotcha," Saya managed, standing close to the energetic young man as he readied himself once more, wiping his sleeve across his forehead.

"A'iiight, who's next?! Come at me!"

* * *

"_Argh!"_ The frail boy recoiled in pain as the Bigbanfrog kicked off his shoulder; static bled out of the bruise and through his t-shirt, leaving a peculiar burning sensation. The boy stumbled backwards, watching the erratic creature in front of him with terror; the blue Frog Noise croaked, staring back with beady eyes. It really could be mistaken for a harmless animal, the boy thought, if not for the bladelike appendages it had for back legs. "H- help…!" he wailed, casting his eyes off to the side. No good; he was practically on the edge of the Scramble. Nobody was close enough to hear him.

The Noise tensed to jump again.

"Nngh…!" The boy spun around to flee. "More of them!" he gasped. The Noise closed in, silently surrounding him on all sides. "Where now?!" Another Frog pounced, latching onto his arm. The boy screamed in pain, flinging the monster away immediately.

_Too many. You won't make it._

Pushing the negative thought out of his head, the boy gripped his arm; his eyes darted from Frog to Frog, vainly trying to keep them all in sight. _Wait. There!_ A gap in their ranks to the side; he ran for it, fast as he could. Seconds before clearing the threshold, however, he noticed something blocking his way. _Are those… bubbles?_ Just as the thought crossed his mind, one of the shimmering spheres popped against his leg. Feeling as if the limb had been spattered with acid, the boy stumbled. _Don't fall…!_ In an effort to avoid another swathe of the airborne projectiles, however, the boy did just that; his injured leg gave out, and he crashed to the ground. He sat up, only to see more Noise approaching. "Guh… Stay back!" Unable to find the strength to stand, the boy frantically scuttled backwards. Too slow, however.

The pack was closing in.

_You're not gonna make it,_ the voice returned. _You screwed up and got yourself too hurt to run, and you aren't nearly strong enough to fight them off._

"Damn it, shut up…!" the boy cried tearfully. Now they were even closer; the lack of sound somehow made the situation all the more unnerving. A swarm of Sprogs slithered towards the boy's leg, terrifying him even further. He shut his eyes.

_Couldn't even survive one day… How pathetic._

The boy braced for the pain, clutching his head…

…

"…?" Noticing a surprising lack of agony in his body, the boy eventually brought himself to open an eye. Bewilderingly, the pack of Noise had disappeared completely. Standing in their place was a lone girl wearing a sleeveless turtleneck, beanie, and jeans. _A Player…?_

Wearing something of a worried expression, the girl surveyed the district, making a few passes before shouting something he couldn't hear to the group of Players at the other side of the Scramble. She turned to the boy, and opened her mouth.

* * *

_That would be the last of them._ Katy breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing another Player yell the signal, the girl curtly responded with the same word: "Clear!"

With the Scramble secured, the blonde's warning floated through Katy's mind. Normally, with the job done, she would be leaving the district right about now, but… _Well. If she was indeed telling the truth, then someone here might be…_ She stood still, scanning the area. _I see Yamamuro… Nakamura… Takaharu._ She nodded to herself before continuing. _Asahina… Kensei too; Kitaoka seems to be berating him again,_ Katy mused as her eyes darted from Player to Player. _Kirishima… Ah, and there's Ishikawa. Okay._ The worried girl checked names off the list in her mind as she matched them to the faces she saw. _Eight of us came to help this time. As for the surviving newcomers… also eight. No, nine,_ she corrected herself, turning her gaze downwards. "Are you alright? Can you stand?" Her concern was directed at the young man with windswept blond hair who had fallen on the ground; the teen wore loose, beige cargo pants, a featureless, white t-shirt, and a simple pair of navy-blue runners. One noteworthy feature however was the expensive-looking camera hanging around his neck.

The boy blinked. He seemed to register that he was being spoken to, but said nothing.

"Hey." Katy called again, in the same soft tone. "How many fingers am I holding up?" A swift movement: She raised three fingers for the frightened youngster to see, expectantly tilting her head to the side.

No answer. Only a flinch, and a confused stare. "Um… Thank you," he managed, a few seconds later.

The girl's brow furrowed by the smallest amount, and a troubled frown began to form on her face. She glanced back to the far side of the Crossing. _Everyone's splitting up. It's about that time, I suppose. But what about…_

"Heyyyyyy, Potassium!" A bubbly voice echoed through the district, turning more than a few heads.

The boy watched with a confused look as his saviour's attention snapped to the side. Following her line of sight, he caught sight of lass with long, bright orange curls. She waved frantically at his saviour, briskly jogging towards her.

"Dude, it's Lottie!" Takaharu elbowed his Partner excitedly, watching the girl skip along." Looks like she's in a really good mood."

"Yes, I can see that," Ishikawa responded dryly, adjusting her glasses as the boy annoyingly continued to rib her.

"Hey there, Knick-Knack-Nakamura! And Yo-Yo Hideo!" Charlotte laughed as she continued on her merry way, cheerfully waving at anybody who so much as glanced in her general direction. "Kirishimaaaa, ya fit like? Oh! Well, if it isn't Taka!" the girl called out energetically, catching sight of the boy. "How've ya been, mannie? We haven't had a bevvy sesh in yonks!" she shouted.

"Y- Yeah, true! How about I buy you a drink later today, then?" Takaharu shouted back, sounding a little too excited.

"Magic! Keep rockin' that JotM, Taka!" the redhead accepted, tossing in the compliment for good measure.

"A little obvious, aren't you, Takaharu?" Ishikawa asked, her voice monotone. Following the instinctive comment, she rolled her eyes and grumbled at herself. Her usual demeanour reflected in the muted tones of her red dress. "Well, it's your money. If you want to spend hundreds more Hours on her, go right for it."

The jubilant note in the older boy's voice vanished, replaced by a playful kind of sarcasm. "Hey, don't be jealous, Emma."

"That's 'Ishikawa' to you."

"You know, you'd be a little more popular with the guys yourself if you weren't always acting like such a- _hrk!"_ A return elbow from Ishikawa struck him hard in the ribs.

Observing the commotion from afar, the carrot top laughed. "Awww. It's always lively with the pair of ya, isn't it?" With one last jubilant skip, she stopped short of her target. "Top o' the morn', girl. How's tricks?" she beamed, raising a friendly, open hand.

"Charlotte…!" Katy raised her eyebrows, a little surprised. "It's… been a while, hasn't it?"

"It's been _yonks_ girl. What, a half year?" she gestured energetically, her ginger locks bouncing around with every movement. "It's bloomin' _fantastic_ ta see you again!" she squealed. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she leapt forwards, throwing her arms around Katy.

"N- not _quite_ that long, I don't think. Maybe a month or two," the Katy hurriedly corrected, gently trying to prise the clingy girl off. She shifted topics. "First off, how did you even recognise me?" She half-forced a chuckle.

"Ach, come _on,_ quine," Charlotte stepped back and rolled her eyes, mock sadness on her face. "You're really gonna say that to yer best mate? I could spot yer wiry, smol frame from a mile away, lass! Hazel doesn't look bad on ya, by the way," she noted, indicating to Katy's contacts. "Yer natural violet's tops, though. Ah, I swoon every _time,_ lass, I cannae even tell ya. Oh, and who else would be runnin' around Shibuya alone, eh? I can't think of a single soul who ditches their Partner on the regular like you, ken."

"I… see. Well, it's lovely to see you too," Katy smiled, reminding herself just how chatty the Excited Charlotte could get in her natural habitat. Turning her head away for a moment, she giggled a little. "Also, I'm sorry, but… _What_ did you call me earlier…?"

"'Potassium'!" Charlotte's fingers ran through her hair at breakneck speed, somehow managing not to get tangled in the process. "Thass what yer boyfriend called ya, anyway. Is that why ya went off-grid? On yer honeymoon? Was it good fun? He's treating ya right, yeah? And ach, when were ya gonna _tell_ me, ya sassenach? I mean, congratulations and all, but…" Charlotte continued to ramble excitedly for a short while longer before being stopped.

"'Boyfriend'?" Potassium repeated the word, raising an eyebrow. "I'm afraid that I'm… not so lucky, Charlotte." Indeed, this was the first that she had heard of it; the young lady was quite shocked to discover that she was in a relationship she was not even aware of. "Where exactly did you hear this, if you don't mind…?" she asked, moving back to the grounded boy. _He's certainly not injured. Perhaps he's just…?_ Katy outstretched her hand, offering to help him up. The boy was looking elsewhere, however. No response.

"Ooh, well… a wee bird told me, ken." The lass chortled. "Seriously though, ya don't need ta worry; y'know I can keep a secret." She winked cheekily. "I met him in person, yeah? He's _unbelievably_ stunnin', quine. As in, like, Eiji Oji levels of swoon…!" Her accent grew thicker, presumably from excitement.

"'In person', you say…" Before Katy could ask about the matter further, she noticed something. Looking away from Charlotte, she checked the district once more. "Speaking of running around without your Partner, Charlotte, where is Yukimura…?"

Charlotte had already moved her focus elsewhere, however. "Hey. Are y'alright there, mannie?" Kneeling next to the lad, the girl repeatedly snapped her fingers in front of his face.

The boy finally moved, recoiling slightly.

"Think he's plastered, Potassium?" Charlotte's freckle-dusted nose twitched in thought as she observed the teen.

"I don't imagine that he would've started the Game intoxicated, no…" Katy disagreed, placing her previous query on hold. "Though he only seems to be reacting to… Ah." An idea forming in her head, the girl casually walked behind the boy as Charlotte continued to talk to him. Kneeling behind him, she raised her hands up next to his head…

_Clap!_

With as much force as she could muster, Katy crashed her palms together.

The young boy didn't so much as blink.

"Hm." Katy allowed her hands to hover for a brief moment before promptly dropping them. "Either that's normal for him, or…"

"Ahh, I ken what you're sayin'." Charlotte nodded sadly before speaking directly to the other teenager, slow and deliberate. "Hey. Min," the girl pointed at her face, and leant in slightly too close for comfort, prompting the boy to pull back, eyes wide. "You. Can't. _Hear._ Me. _Can_ ya?"

The boy continued to hold his confused expression as his eyes darted back and forth from one girl to the other. His lips twitched before falling still, as if unable to decide whether or not to speak.

"Lad's lost his lugs?" Charlotte turned to her friend. "Think thass his Entry Fee?"

"Let's hope that's all it is," Katy bit her lip. "If he was deaf _before_ coming here, he'll have lost more than just his 'lugs'…" The girl drew out her Phone, and tapped away at the keyboard With that, she flipped her the screen over to show the boy her note:

**Here to help. Are you okay?**

**Can you hear anything?**

The youngster ran his eyes over the lady's message. With an uncertain expression, the boy opened his mouth and spoke, "I- I'm…" The tears that had previously stuck to the corners of the frightened boy's eyes now spilled out; clean white lines streaked his dust-caked cheeks. "Yeah, I… My Entry Fee's my hearing. I can still hear myself, for some reason, but…" he trailed off, sniffling.

'_But…' nothing else?_ Katy's expression softened as she looked on. _That's going to take some adjustment._

"I'm uh… My name's Keita, by the way. D- don't worry about me, if you have something that you're talking about…" Keita adjusted himself to sit more comfortably, hanging his head and began fiddling with his camera.

"Potassium."

"Hm? Yes?" Giving the young man space to collect himself, Katy turned back to Charlotte.

"Lad's fresh from the RG, yeah?"

"Yes…" She glanced over to Hachiko; the Players who had grouped together there had all but dispersed. "The rest have already paired up, so we'll have to find a Partner for him."

"Yeah… Thought so." Charlotte stood, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I'm glad I found the two of ya loiterin' about here, then. I'll Pact with the lad."

Katy's eyes widened. "'Pact'…?" The world seemed to stutter, a cold, unpleasant feeling gripped her chest. "… You mean…?"

"Aye," Charlotte nodded, her expression saddening by a small amount. "Yukes is gone."

Katy stiffened. "Yukimura is…" she repeated, still unable to fully grasp what words Charlotte had just spoken. _Yukimura is…? How? Why?_

"It's alright, lass," Charlotte spoke calmly, nodding to herself. "He's… It was quick. That Player Hunter bastard got 'im."

Katy stared at Charlotte, uncomprehending. _The Player Hunter…? But Charlotte seemed so carefree a moment ago… No, of course she would, given her Entry Fee._ The girl kicked herself for forgetting. "… Wait, Charlotte, how long ago…?!"

"It's been like, three minutes, girl," Charlotte laughed bitterly. "That means four more, until they come ta get me, yeah?"

Katy paused for a moment, allowing the reality of the situation to sink in. "Yes. That's… correct. We have time." Her voice was low, carefully measured. Her expression twisted slightly in thought. _Yukimura's been Erased… It feels like something's off, but if she says so, then… _Then, it hit her. The blonde's warning. Was this how she was supposed to help? To secure a Partner for Charlotte? She swallowed to clear the dryness in her throat. "Charlotte. The Penalty Noise won't chase Keita down until a week passes; the 7-minute rule only applies after _losing_ a Partner. Kitaoka managed by herself for a few days, if you recall, before…" _Before Akabane was Erased, and Kitaoka took her spot,_ Katy finished internally. "… In any case, if we focus on finding you another Partner first, then-"

"Uh, what d'you mean? We got a perfectly good pick right here, Potassium," Charlotte indicated to Keita, who was still sitting quietly on the ground; he appeared to be scrolling through photos on his camera.

"Yes, but…" Katy still struggled to find the words, feeling guilty despite the boy's impairment. "He seems quite… timid. And his Entry Fee…" she trailed off, countless scenarios forcing their way into her head. "I just have a terrible feeling that such a handicap will… get you into a bad spot."

"_Someone's_ gonna get him either way, quine," Charlotte frowned. "Ya sayin' we should fix me up first, then pawn the lad off to be someone else's problem?"

"That's not what I meant to…" Katy bit back her response, conceding the point. She probably _wouldn't_ have made such a suggestion if Keita could hear it himself. She glanced over to the boy, who looked back. She immediately broke eye contact, uncomfortable.

Charlotte held her unamused expression, staring Katy down. A few moments later, however, she broke back into a grin. "Ah, don't get yerself down. I'm right touched that ya care about me, ken. I _never_ get ta see you this emotional." The lass delivered a friendly punch to Katy's shoulder.

"… Right." She bit her lip. There was no time to argue further, anyway. "I apologise that I…"

"Don't be bawlin' about how sorry y'are, either," Charlotte cut her off, cheekily modulating the register of her voice. "'Please forgive me, Lottie'," the girl imitated, her face oozing sadness and shame. "I just love ya _so_ much I cannae _handle_ it, lass.' Ya don't have ta tell me, girl. I understand." Her little channelling session complete, Charlotte coughed as her voice swung back to its usual pitch. "Really, ya saved my skin, quine. If I didn't see the pair of ya here, I'd have been left stranded. Get back to yer own Partner now, alright?" She smiled once more before trotting over to Keita.

Moved by Charlotte's positivity Katy found herself wearing a small smile of her own. It faded just as quickly, however. She thought of Yukimura. Stern Jun Yukimura, who was almost never seen smiling, but whom Katy knew cared far more than most. Yukimura, who would never again be able to experience Charlotte's optimism and warmth. To cherish her company. Her friendship. _Yukimura… We hadn't spoken in so long. I'm sorry that I couldn't even be there at the end._ She grit her teeth, raising her head and hardening her heart. _We'll carry on for you. We'll live, as you'd want us to. Kensei, Charlotte… we'll keep fighting in your place._ Reorienting herself, Katy decided that she had been out in the open long enough. It was time to depart. _Looks like that blonde girl was telling the truth after all. Should I visit Mr. Tezano, then…?_ "Take care of yourselves." Murmuring her best wishes to the pair, the girl turned to leave. _Mr. Tezano's headquarters. It's been quite some time since I've visited the Ruins, but… _Katy steeled herself, wondering what answers the old acquaintance would be able to provide. _Better get going. The day is just beginning._

But before the girl could make a move, at that very instant… the sky itself split apart.

* * *

**_New Day: Part I - Threads yet Unseen_**

* * *

**Whoa, you made it! Thank you so much for reading this far!**

**I do hope you enjoyed. I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether positive or negative, though if you can't, I still really appreciate you just reading this far, either way. My deepest thanks.**

**Look forward to the next chapter!**

**-X**


	2. Chapter II: Countdown

**Second Chapter!**

**Thank you very much for the kind words and critiques thus far; I really appreciate it, and will do my best to learn from what you've said.**

**Side note about Charlotte; some of the terminology she uses, such as 'lugs' for 'ears', might be a little strange to you. Please bear with her, if you can; she's an odd lass, but she means well.**

* * *

**Chapter II: Countdown**

"_Graviton Pulse!"_ Kensei shouted, pointing his fingers skyward as he dashed towards the fallen Player.

All at once, the Noise terrorising the little girl were wrenched upwards to a singular point of light in the sky; the creatures screeched as they collided, crushed together by an unbelievable force before bursting into static.

"Whoooooo, well would you look at that? Made it after all." Slowing his pace, Kensei reassessed the small number of remaining Noise. _Finally. This week's wave was even larger…_ The man exhaled, feeling the toll on his body as he jogged over to the shaken girl; he absent-mindedly accepted her thanks and directed her to Hachiko. _Just a few Bigbanfrogs?_ _Emma should be done in just a moment, then,_ he noted, confirming Ishikawa's status. _Ichimaru, too. Yukiko's also wrapping up…_ As he checked off the rest of his team, however, Kensei barely noticed a cluster of Noise at the far end of the Scramble; the creatures shuddered and shook, slowly moving forwards… _There's someone over there…!_ Cursing himself, he prepared to move…

The next moment, there were a few flashes of light in the distance, and a large swath of the Noise were Erased; a shoulder bag-toting girl in a beanie, black top, and jeans had stepped in. _Whoa. Great stuff,_ Kensei breathed a sigh of relief. _With that side taken care of, we're pretty much done,_ he realised, relaxing as he watched the new arrival cut through the last of the Noise. _Someone we know? I'll have to thank them either way… _Kensei squinted, vainly attempting to catch a glimpse of the Player's face…

"_Dumbass!"_

A splitting pain radiated from the back of the man's skull as the rock that struck him clattered to the ground. "Oww! The hell was that, Yukiko?!" Kensei turned, only to be greeted by another rock flying his way. "Whoa!?" The man yelped, ducking out of the way.

"That's _my_ line, dumbass!" Yukiko Kitaoka's platinum blonde mop of hair seemed to flare up in rage as she yelled, only managing to stay out of her face thanks to a trio of hairbands. "We specifically _agreed_ that you wouldn't overextend yourself, and you ignored me! Clear!" she added, raising one of her gloved arms as she shouted the signal to the team.

Everyone answered back the same way.

"Ahh, cool it, Yukiko." Kensei frowned, rubbing the growing bump on his head. "I did manage to get to her in time after all, so-"

"_No,_ idiot! You're pushing yourself again with those high-strain Psychs. You _always_ do this," Yukiko ground her teeth, marching straight up to the man. Unflinchingly, she stared up at his rust-coloured eyes, not paying any mind to their difference in height.

"I'm not- I know my own limits, kid," Kensei sighed. "I'm not gonna bite it from a couple _Lv. 2_ Psyc- huh?" He stopped, interrupted by the girl shoving an open notebook in his face.

"Here. Read." Yukiko tapped her finger on the paper, her ever-present scowl deepening.

"Uh. 'Pretty strong I guess. Reliable in a fight'. Huh, that's oddly nic-"

"_Wrong!_" Yukiko shouted, causing the man to jump. She smacked the page again, grumbling. "_Below_ that."

"Ummm… 'Bleeding-heart wannabe hero. Ignores own safety for others'. Ahaha… I mean-"

"Exactly," she snapped, knocking on the side of her skull. "Don't try and pull that 'I know my limits' crap on me." Producing a pen, Yukiko added an additional sentence to the line:

**Doesn't see the issue and denies it when brought up.**

Kensei waited for a moment as his Partner scribbled away, but then smiled a little, deciding to speak up. "You know what, that's actually really sweet, coming from you," he grinned. "How many pages did it take for you to write something nice about me, huh?"

"There's stuff," she defended, "maybe I just don't wanna share my whole diary with you. Think about that?" Snapping the book shut, she looked back up at his face and smirked. "I guess at the very least I can say that you're not a bad guy. Just an idiot."

"What a way with words," Kensei chuckled. "Does this mean we can finally get past this stage of you throwing stuff at me?"

"Hey, I'd punch you, if I could." Yukiko raised an eyebrow. And her fist. "We could always give that a go instead?"

Kensei merely shook his head in amused exasperation, then took a moment to glance over to Hachiko. _Looks like they're already splitting up. Guess they've all Pacted._ "Oh," he remembered, "did you see that other Player, Yu-"

"Heyyyyyy, Potassium!" A bubbly voice echoed through the district.

Just as Kensei was thinking about talking to the Player with the bag, someone else had beat him to it. _Lottie? Haven't seen her in a couple of weeks. Not since…_ He stopped himself, not wishing to revisit that particular memory at the moment.

"What, the one with the gloomy threads?" Yukiko asked, jabbing her thumb over to the girl. "I saw, yeah. Do we know any 'Potassium', though? Kind of a stupid name."

"Nah, we don't know her… I don't think."

"Cool. Let orangeylocks deal with her, then." Yukiko decided, swiftly moving on. "Hey. What do you think about the number of Noise?"

"The number?" Kensei repeated, only half-paying attention. Noting that Charlotte and 'Potassium' seemed to be peacefully chatting away, however, he decided to place his focus on his Partner instead.

"Yeah. I thought it might've been my imagination, but…" Yukiko skimmed the most recent entries of her diary, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "They're definitely ramping up the number of Noise. Not even half of the newbies survived just now; if we weren't here to help…" She paused, swiftly drawing a thumb across her throat. "See what I mean?"

"Yeah, Ichimaru and Emma had similar thoughts. It _is_ pretty weird," he acknowledged, pulling out a comb and sweeping it through his quiff; a stray lock of hair hung over his forehead, streaked with red hair dye. "The Game is supposed to test us, not wipe us out in the first few minutes. Or at least, that's how I understand it."

Yukiko flipped through some more pages, eventually finding landing near the beginning of the notebook. "Hmm. Well, according to… Katy, yeah," she mumbled, reminding herself as she read. "Her Game was different, though; she only had to survive for a week. A lot better than this garbage system of collecting Time," she added, looking at the red Timer on her right hand.

_03:21:18:00:15…_

_03:21:18:00:14…_

_03:21:18:00:13…_

"I hate it, but," Yukiko frowned, "I kinda get what Jun meant when he resigned." The girl opened her notebook once more, flipping to the section titled **[Jun Yukimura]**, silently reading one of the many, many lines of info written within.

**Yukimura left the group. Kensei tried to stop him. He said, "I'm done trying to win." (The hell does that mean?)**

"Yeah…" Kensei acknowledged, sounding reluctant. "A lot of Players just play the Game safe, honestly. It eventually becomes routine. I can't see him ever getting Erased, now that he's doing the same." The man fell quiet, wondering how Yukimura was holding up. _Hopefully not too badly._

"Routine, huh…?" Yukiko murmured, thinking for a moment before scribbling something else down. "Bastard's mentally worn-out, I guess. Doesn't sound fun," the girl remarked bitterly. She shut her notebook for the second time.

"What about you, Yukiko?" Kensei smirked. "The UG's not so bad. We could cruise it here, if you're uh, sick of the grind."

"Duuumbass. Don't even joke about that. We're playing to win, aren't we?" She tapped a finger against her temple, letting out a hollow chuckle. "Well. _I_ can stay positive thanks to my Entry Fee, luckily. It's good for at least that, huh, Kensei?"

"Hm," the man smiled a little, but stopped himself from laughing, unsure of how to respond. "Well… More useful than mine, at least." With that final joke, Kensei felt lighter, as if he knew the day was going to be a good one. The usual scramble for survival in the usual city of Shibuya.

But then, the very next moment…

The sky split apart.

* * *

**_New Day: Part II_**

* * *

Katy froze upon hearing the thunderous scream echo across the Scramble Crossing.

The morning skies of Shibuya turned grey as the light breeze blowing through the district picked up into a ferocious gale. Players in the area gasped and cried out in surprise as the dust on the road kicked up into their faces; the citizens of the RG however, walked on, blissfully unaware of the chaos in the UG.

The sound of grinding metal and clacking claws echoed through the air as a torrent of Noise Symbols erupted from a newly-torn fissure in the sky. Bloody scarlet crimson burst from the tear in droves, screeching and wailing as they came. "Penalty Noise!" someone yelled. The Players stared upwards in shock as they attempted to count how many there were, to at least estimate the number of Noise pouring into the district, but…

They couldn't.

_Already…?_ Katy gritted her teeth. By Charlotte's estimate, the Penalty Noise were in fact a little too early. _No,_ she realised, _this is… Why did it have to be _now, _of all times?_ Taking a breath, she started counting.

"Oh, God…! What are _they?!_" Shock and horror rattled Keita's voice as he jumped to his feet, his balance off.

"_They_ are our signal to Pact, min!" an alarmed Charlotte answered. "Quickly, yeah?" Grabbing him by the hands, she pulled the youngster close.

Startled, the boy attempted to work his mouth as his limbs feebly struggled against Charlotte's grip. "H- hey…! What are you…?!" There was no bright flash, no dancing lights… nothing.

"Aw, you've gotta be…" Charlotte's fiery hair whipped around in the wind as she realised the inherent difficulty of asking a deaf Player to agree to a Pact. She turned to Katy. "We have a problem, Potassium…!"

Screaming and panic returned in an instant, drowning out the commands being shouted by the few veterans still present; the surviving recruits had, after having only tasted peace for a few precious minutes, found themselves thrown into the heart of danger once again.

Signalling their attack with a howling war cry, the Noise commenced their descent; the mass of roiling red skulls spiralled downwards. Most Players simply fled; there was no stopping an assault of that size, after all. Whilst a few misbehaving cohorts of the army broke off to attack the scattering Players, the majority of the drove was focused on the offending party at hand…

"First wave incomin'!" Charlotte shouted as a trio of Noise Symbols at the enemy's forefront rapidly closed in on her and Keita.

A pack of Wolf Noise burst forth from the tribal skulls; Katy clicked her tongue in irritation. "_Pyrokinesis!"_ A wide wall of fierce, dancing flames erupted from the ground to meet the invaders.

Though two of the Wolf Noise stopped short of the barrier, the hastiest of the three found itself right in the centre of the inferno. The force of the flaring fire launched the Noise's body upward; its torched, sizzling body thudded onto the asphalt behind the Players, punctuated by a wretched yelp.

"Hey, not bad, quine!" the redhead Player grinned, voicing her approval; the cheerful expression on her face contrasting starkly with the terrified look on Keita's. Too early to celebrate, however; the Wolf Noise quickly recovered, launching itself at the pair. "Ach, ta hell with ya, ya scaffy lil'…" Charlotte produced her own Pin and reared back. Scattered airborne embers began to gather around and encircle her hand; the tips of her fingers started to glow like heated firewood… "_Pyro!"_ Keeping one protective hand around Keita, Charlotte heaved her arm, launching a blazingly fast fireball at her target; the flaming projectile caught the beast mid-lunge.

_Boom!_

Charlotte's Psych hit the Wolf's snarling face dead-on, exploding outwards and wreathing the surroundings in a billowing cloud of fire and smoke. Her victorious expression didn't last long, however; the Noise emerged from the explosion, unfazed. Strings of viscous drool hung between the angry Wolf's jaws as it roared in fury, now close enough to go for the kill…

"_Yipe!"_ The Wolf yelped as a hand shot out of the black veil and forcefully caught it by the scruff of the neck.

Katy stepped into the clean air, coughing a little from the smoke. Her hand sizzled and burned from the direct contact with the Noise.

"Hey, b- behind!" Keita warned, pointing back to Katy's wall of fire; one of the Wolves had made it around the obstacle.

Whirling around, the girl swung the Noise in her grip with all her might… "_Repulsor!"_ the Noise left her grip, flying into the approaching Wolf with a crash before exploded into static, its wispy trails rising in the heat.

Still not safe, however; the last Wolf was closing in fast, and behind it, a tsunami of Noise Symbols.

"We gotta leg it, girl!" Charlotte shouted above the wailing army of Noise.

"You two go! I'll be right there!" Katy replied keeping her eyes on the fast-approaching Wolf. Zig-zagging, the predator shot forwards, aiming for the girl's leg-

"_Velocity Booster!"_ Crashing into the Wolf came another Player; he skidded to a halt as the Psych entered its cooldown phase.

The beast tumbled a distance away before regaining its footing, snarling angrily.

"Taka! Beautiful save, lad!" Charlotte cheered. Katy, meanwhile, simply stared in surprise.

"Damn right!" Takaharu hollered back before quickly examining Katy's face. "Hah! It _is_ you, Katy! Long time no see!" he exclaimed, grinning widely. "Run for it! We'll cover you!"

'_We'? _Katy spared half a second to glance off to the side, immediately understanding. "Apologies!" she shouted thankfully. Spinning on her heel, the girl signalled for Charlotte and Keita to follow her. The trio of Players retreated towards the narrow passageway of the Center Street Entrance.

The Wolf howled in frustration. Did its prey think it would give up so easily? Kicking off the ground, it screamed across the asphalt, catching up with the fleeing girl in a second-

"_Force Bullets: Sniper."_

So fast that Takaharu could only see the trail, a tiny projectile shot across the district, and through the Wolf's head, shattering it into shards of black and white.

From the far end of the Scramble, Ishikawa muttered to herself, aiming for another Noise. "You're not touching her." She unloaded another shot. Then another. Each Noise fell with ease, though the effort did little to reduce their numbers. "Tch. We're going after them, Taka-"

"Emma!" a voice called over the perpetual screaming of the Penalty Noise.

Ishikawa stopped, looking for who had addressed her. "Leader!" she yelled back, catching sight of Kensei; he was sprinting over, with his Partner trailing behind him. "We have to go help Katy! She's running into Center Street!"

Kensei's eyes narrowed, spotting the girl as she disappeared into the street with Charlotte and a young boy in tow. _So that _was _Katy._ "… No, you need to head to 104 with the others."

"What's at 104?" Takaharu huffed, regrouping with the two Players.

"The Penalty Noise… can't chase you into the RG. Not if you're Pacted, anyway," Yukiko answered, skimming a section in her notebook as fast as possible. "Anyway," she looked up, "we'll have to wait them out; they'll disappear eventually."

"But can they even attack us anyway? _We're_ Pacted," Takaharu pointed out.

As if to answer him, a lone Noise Symbol swooped down at Yukiko. The girl dodged, muttering an incantation before swatting it out of the air; the Symbol exploded into static. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, they can," she answered sarcastically.

"If you're far from your Partner, they can get a bit antsy; even not considering that, Penalty Noise have a tendency to go maverick," Kensei clarified, nervously glancing up at the swarm. "Come on, time to go!"

"But they're relentless; Players can't escape the Penalty Noise, Leader…!" Ishikawa reminded; her expression was grim, barely controlled.

"Yeah, exactly!" Yukiko exclaimed, incredulous. "That's _why_ we're headin' to 104, four-eyes!"

"I'm talking about Katy, Kitaoka," she immediately replied, her tone frustrated. "I didn't see her Partner with her."

"And _that_ sounds like it's not our problem." Yukiko turned to her Partner. "Right, Kensei?"

The man was silent. He stood with arms crossed, a contemplative expression on his face.

"… Kensei?" Yukiko repeated warily. She didn't like the look on his face…

* * *

The fleeing trio passed by AMX as a blur; Katy threw a look behind her, panting as she ran.

The Penalty Noise had, as she hoped, found themselves bottlenecked at the cramped district's entryway; a select number of the more forward-thinking Symbols had thought to fly overhead, however, bypassing the narrow streets entirely. At the very least, the approaching wave appeared to be somewhat slow, even if deadly.

"A _Lv. 1_ Pin, Charlotte?" Katy puffed. "Do you not have anything better?"

"Hey, it's not my fault, ken…!" the redhead huffed; the effort of pulling a panicking Keita along draining her stamina. "I gave the good stuff to Yukes; we were dealing with the Merchant!" She held up her Fire Pin. "I've gotta deal with this thing," she whined. "You're sittin' pretty, what, with yer _Lv. 2s_, and yer _Lv. 3s_…" Charlotte broke off; a lone Noise Symbol in the sky had caught up with them

Following Charlotte's line of sight, Keita, too, caught sight of their pursuer.

The Symbol shifted around in the air, morphing into a Raven Noise. Spreading its sage-tinted wings, the creature dive-bombed, shrieking maniacally.

"Claws offa th' midget, bird-brain!"

Keita gasped as Charlotte yanked him by the arm, out of the Raven's path. The wind whistled as the Noise's razor-sharp beak whizzed past, stealing a few strands of hair as it flew by.

"Well done!" Katy threw another look over her shoulder: The writhing mass of crimson skulls were gaining on them, now that they were racing through the relatively open-aired space of Tipsy Tose Hall.

"They aren't stoppin', quine!" Charlotte worried. "If we Pact, they'll stop harrassin' us, yeah?!"

"Right, but the issue is _how,"_ Katy replied, panting. '_Right'…?_ "Right!" Her eyes lit up. "Charlotte, write a request on your Phone!"

"That's real romantic an' stuff, but will that even work, ken?"

"Pacts don't have to be verbal; if there's a mutual agreement, it's fine!" Katy insisted, hoping that her assumption was correct.

"Huh. Worth a shot…!" Charlotte's hand moved to unzip her hip pouch…

"Watch out!"

"Ach!" Hearing Keita's cry, Charlotte ducked; the Raven whooshed past, "Attention-hungry, dirty-wing, carrion-carryin' lil'…"

"How're we gonna get away?!" Keita cried out again, panicked.

"Alright," Katy decided giving the two a reassuring look, "we'll barricade the street," her hand dove into her bag, grabbing two Pins, "Take this Pin and help me-" Just then, another Raven to swooped down and began clawing at her head. "Ugh!" Katy burst forwards, batting the creature off with her free hand; her beanie and wig came away in its talons, exposing her short, auburn hair.

"Hey, that colour looks much better on ya, Potassium!" Charlotte exclaimed, cheerful. Keita, meanwhile, simply stared, surprised.

"Not really the time…!" Katy gasped for air, feeling her legs begin to give. Hearing a screech, she shot a gaze upwards; a third Raven circled above before diving in. But this time, she was ready.

"_Shockwave,"_ Katy calmly whirled around and struck the bird out of the air without breaking her stride. "Catch!" she shouted to Charlotte.

"_Pyro!"_ The lass cockily launched a fireball first, instantly incinerating the stunned Raven. "Hah!" she crowed, snagging the thrown Pin out of the air. "Looks like fried chicken fer dinner!"

"Ahead, you two!" Keita screamed, pulling the girls' attention to the forefront.

For a split-second, Charlotte didn't understand; then, she saw them. "Ah, ya _glaikit_ bastards…!" A pack of fifty-something Noise poured out of Spain Hill and rushed towards the trio, already much closer than the first swarm.

_Flanked us…!_ Katy realised. The three skidded to a halt, their way forwards cut off. _Back the way we came?_ She whipped around, her breath heavy. _Not happening. No gaps on either front._ In 15- no… 10 seconds, they would be overrun; drowning in a tsunami of caustic Noise Symbols.

The two remaining Ravens shrieked, charging at the girls.

"Uhh, plan, Potassium?" Charlotte asked, holding a panting Keita close as she defended herself with a volley of fireballs.

9 seconds.

Katy's mind scrambled for a way out, heavily distracted by the Noise attacking her. "_Shockwave!"_ She swung her arm, but connected with nothing; the bird zipped around in erratic caution. "Nngh. Can we cover both?!"

8 seconds.

Charlotte quickly sized up the sheer number of Noise approaching, as well as the width and height of the street. "Ach, no way, girl!" Charlotte's head whipped back and forth. "Just one side'll take the wind outta me!"

7 seconds.

"Ahh… ahhhh…!" Keita held tight to Charlotte, a terrified moan escaping his throat.

Katy's mind raced. _Can't run; not with the boy in tow. Can't break through a pack that size in time either…!_ "_Shockwave!"_ Another miss.

6 seconds.

"Ahhh, I _really_ don't wanna kick the bucket here, lass!" Charlotte groaned, sounding rather inconvenienced as she heaved another fireball.

5 seconds.

_If only… If I were alone, I could stop both swarms. _Katy's finger circled around a certain Pin in her bag, hesitant. Jumping to the side, she finally struck her Raven out of the air; it exploded into static.

4 seconds.

_No…!_ Katy bit her lip, backed into a mental corner. _Even if they weren't with me, this kind of location…_

The last Raven circled high above; it no longer needed to attack at this stage.

3 seconds.

"Potassium," Charlotte spoke, eyeing the bird. "Run. Get back to yer Partner."

"I can't-"

"If you stay, you're gonna get caught in the crossfire."

2 seconds.

Keita shut his eyes. Charlotte sighed.

Katy stood frozen. "Dammit…!" she cursed, clenching her fists… _Wait. The Raven's gone…?_

1 second.

And then, from the rooftop above…

"_Come get a beatdown!"_

"_Hey, save some for me!"_

Almost too fast to see, a tall man and a shorter girl crash-landed on top of the pack; the pair flickered from Noise to Noise, shattering each one into pieces with a devastating, Fusion-enhanced punch as they went. In moments, only a handful remained.

"K- Kensei…!" Katy stammered, wide-eyed.

"Katy!" he beamed. "You look good! Glad we could catch up to you!"

"Jings! If it in't Yukiko!" Charlotte laughed. "Ya fit lik-"

"And who the hell are you, ginger?" she cut Charlotte off, irritated at the casual use of her name. "Can't believe you dragged me along on this suicide mission," she added, shooting a glare at Kensei.

Having opened his eyes, Keita felt a momentary wave of relief, but just as quickly kicked back into survival mode. "T- Thank you, but the big one's still coming…!" He pointed a shaky finger, stepping back.

Instantly registering the warning, Katy whipped around to reassess the situation: The horde was unnervingly close now. Another 10 seconds, perhaps?

Except this time, they only had the one side to deal with.

Katy's expression hardened. "Charlotte! Wall them off!" she commanded, raising a hand high into the air; energy crackled around the limb. "Pour out as much as you can!"

"I hear ya, Potassium!" The other Player signalled without hesitation, raising a hand of her own.

The pair slammed her palms down upon the tarmac, shaking the ground ahead of them.

"_Aquaflow!"_

"_Aquafell!"_

Gallons of water forcefully exploded from the ground like magma from a volcano; a grand reverse-waterfall cascaded upwards, veiling the mass of oncoming Noise.

"Whoa…" Keita gaped. A gigantic mass of shimmering blue sat in the middle of the street, spanning its entire width.

The swarm of oncoming Noise Symbols hit the thick, multilayered liquid barrier and immediately slowed; the conjured water burned the Noise to the touch as they did Players. The submerged front-line Penalty Noise let out disharmonious wails of anguish as they corroded into bits of wispy static.

"Ugh…!" Charlotte stumbled, intense fatigue hitting her. "Don't make me do that again, quine," she groaned, righting herself.

"You did brilliantly; now run!" Katy ordered.

Shakily thrusting out a thumbs-up, Charlotte held out a hand for Keita. He stared at it for a second, a mixture of hurt and shame on his face.

"No- I'm fine, don't worry about me!" Gritting his teeth, the boy took Charlotte's arm to support her.

"Ah… Right gentleman y'are," Charlotte chuckled; the two made for Shibu-Q Heads.

Katy nodded to the two remaining Players. "Thank you," she gave a tight smile, keeping an eye on the barricade, "but you two-"

"-'should get to safety. I'll take care of this'," Kensei spoke synchronously with the girl, flashing a knowing smile. "Still like that, Katy? You know me; we're staying to help."

"Kensei…" she started, not wanting to look him in the face.

"Uh, speak for yourself," Yukiko piped up. "I'm not against running, for once," she confessed, pointing at the tenacious, looming swarm of Noise.

The swarm's hive mind continued to push its mass into the acidic roadblock, much like a log being forced into a wood chipper; the Noise screeched and wailed as they slowly advanced…

"Kitaoka's right, you-"

"You _both _know that I'm gonna stay, even if she runs," Kensei shrugged confidently, then turned to his Partner. "And you aren't so cold-hearted that you'd abandon me anyway. Right, Yukiko…?" he winked, chuckling.

"… You're makin' it sound pretty appealing right about now, Kensei," Yukiko scowled. "What happened to 'knowing your limits', huh?"

"Hey, with you two here to help, I know we can get through anything!" Kensei held up a confident fist. A second later, his tone turned serious. "So, the situation, Katy. The others are holed up at 104. Did you lose your Partner, or…?"

"No," she answered in spite of herself, watching the Noise push themselves further and further into her wall. "Yukimura's been Erased. Charlotte needs to Pact with that boy, but he's deaf, so…" She stopped to take a breath, preparing the next point in her mind.

Yukiko finally dropped her scowl; her mouth opened a little in surprise.

"Oh… Jun, huh?" Kensei winced, not expecting that. "That's… really unfortunate… In which case," he recovered quickly. Or at least, he appeared to. "We just need to stall these rats until she can work out a Pact, then?"

"Yes, but-"

The muffled wailing of the Noise exploded into a piercing scream as a small group of the monsters burst out of the mass of water; innumerable droplets of aqua accompanied, arcing through the air before showering down and dotting the pavement with tiny puddles. The flickering, half-melted Noise Symbols shuddered, then twisted into themselves, transfiguring into a menacing pack of Grizzly; brandishing their claws, the beasts growled in unison, preparing to charge.

"No time to debate, is seems," Katy grimly conceded. Taking a breath, she concentrated on the still-active Psych. "_Aquafell: Cryonis."_ The wall of water behind the bears froze solid in an instant, encasing the mass of Penalty Noise behind the Grizzlies.

"Is that gonna hold for long…?" Yukiko muttered.

"No," Katy replied bluntly. "We'll have to take these ones out, then run for it."

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us…" Kensei grimaced. The three Players steeled themselves, ready to stop the charging Grizzly Noise.

* * *

Keita stopped short of the graffitied wall in Udagawa, gently tapping a staggering Charlotte to signal that they'd hit the end of the street.

She managed to form a small grin. "Udagawa already?" Taking note of her surroundings, the redhead shook her head and stood straight, pulling her arm back to herself. "We're miles ahead of th' Noise, yeah? Why don't we give that Pact a go- ah, right…" the talkative girl hit the brakes on her motor-mouth, reminding herself that her words, quite literally, fell on deaf ears. "Well, no matter," she clenched her fist confidently, whipping out her phone. Her fair, slender fingers danced over the device, typing out the request. "After we're done here," she mumbled, mostly speaking to herself, "we gotta bail Potassium outta this mess." A last few taps, and she was done. Grinning again in relief, Charlotte turned her Phone towards the confused boy. "Alright, Keita. Take a look at this-"

_Bang!_

"_Gah…!" _Charlotte gasped.

Keita shrieked. His body recoiled in shock as static spurted out the exit wound in the girl's shoulder.

Staggering back, the redhead clutched her shoulder. Her Phone fell from her grasp, clattering upon the ground.

"Man, this is my lucky day; already got myself five kills, and I find some punks cornered by the rule-breakers brigade…"

_Bang!_

A second shot tore through Charlotte's leg. "_Agh!"_ she cried out, falling to the ground…

"No!" Keita cried out, running over and catching her before she could completely collapse. The girl propped herself up on one knee, leaning against the boy for support.

A Harrier Reaper wearing a sleeveless black hoodie emerged from the shadows; proudly twirling his firearm around. "Good morning," he greeted the pair cheerfully. "Well, for one of us, at least. Sadly for you, free Points aren't really something I'm in the habit of passing up, so you'd… Huh." The man's expression changed as he got a good look at Charlotte, almost imperceptible behind his red bandanna. "If it isn't the chick from earlier today. What a surprise." The Player Hunter threw off his hood, revealing a crew cut hairstyle. He raised an eyebrow, watching on with an uncaring expression as the girl before him continued to bleed out.

Keita stepped back upon sighting the Reaper, but stayed by Charlotte's side.

Charlotte grit her teeth in displeasure. "There y'are, ya damn…"

"How the _hell_ did you make it outta there…?" the Harrier smirked, almost impressed. "Pretty sure I left you surrounded by a good 20 Noise or so…" the man's eyes slid over to Keita. "Heh. And already trying to get a new Partner, I see. Knew it," he sniggered. "Didn't take long to get over your old one at all, did it? Shows how much you cared about him-"

"You shut yer trap, ya sleekit twally," Charlotte cut the man off. "You don't know _anythin'_ about Yukes, so don't go haverin' on-"

"Blah, blah, blah, yeah, I get it. 'He wasn't just your Partner, he was your friend', and all that crap." The Player Hunter's tone turned sour as he raised his gun once more. "One thing you should know about me. I get sick of that line _real_ fast." The Harrier placed his finger on the trigger…

"W- wait…!" Keita squeaked. Jumping in front of Charlotte, the boy threw his arms out. "D- don't shoot her, please…!"

Charlotte's jaw dropped a little; though she couldn't see it, she was sure the Player Hunter's had done the same.

The man's brow furrowed; he stared at the boy, incredulous for a good five seconds. And then… "Pfft. _Pfffhahahahahaaah…!"_ he guffawed, throwing his head back, a hand clasping his face as he struggled to compose himself. Keita and Charlotte watched on, astonished. After a good round of laughter, the Harrier calmed himself, chuckling a little as he admonished Keita. "Wow, little man. _Wow. _Very brave of you. Very good, very good," he shook his head, expelling the last few laughs from himself. Then, he looked the boy in the eye. He wasn't laughing anymore. "You just gave me a nice trip down memory lane. You got me in a good mood, hey, what can I say?" He aims for Keita's forehead; the boy's legs began to shake. "And it's _because_ of that that I'm gonna do you a solid back, and _not_ Erase your stupid ass. _If_ you hightail it outta here right now. Go on," he ordered, flicking the gun to the side.

Keita kept his legs locked in place, unable to understand most of what the Player Hunter had just said. "Um… I- I don't know why you're doing this, but-"

"You deaf, little man? _Leave._ Or are you _trying_ to throw my kindness back in my face?" the Reaper cocked the gun. "Come on. She's not worth it; no Partner is. Let's be honest with ourselves, huh?"

Charlotte's eyes briefly slid towards the direction of Shibu-Q heads. Were the others still held up…?

"You're new to the Game, I'm guessin'," the Player Hunter continued, "so I'll give you some wisdom: If your positions were reversed, this chick would be ditching you without a second's thought." Charlotte narrowed her eyes, but otherwise said nothing. "Why should you put yourself on the line for her, huh? There _is_ no reason. Absolutely none."

Keita looked around nervously, trying his hardest to understand what the Reaper was talking about.

"Look. You run? No hard feelings. Just be honest with yourself; cut the act." The Player Hunter held up five fingers with his free hand. "I'll even give you a countdown. Here… Five."

That got Keita's attention; seeing the Reaper counting down turned his blood cold. "W- wait! Please, wait…!"

"Four," he continued, as if not hearing the boy.

His brain screamed at him. _Run! What are you doing?!_

_I- I can't do that! She's saved me-_

_Who cares? You'll both die if you stay!_

_No one's gonna know that you left her! Just run for now, and the others can help you!_

_How could you even say…!_

"Three…"

Keita turned back to Charlotte for help, desperate for support. The girl indicated to the side with her eyes, 'you can go; it's okay'. The boy's face twisted in fear; he looked back to the Reaper. His feet moved a little; his legs buckling and bending.

_Yeah, that's it,_ the Player Hunter's lips twisted into a smile beneath his bandanna.

"_Charlotte!"_

The redhead whipped around, quickly spotting the trio sprinting towards her in the distance.

"That's the Player Hunter!" Kensei realised, adrenaline spiking. _Out of my range…!_ "_Hold it!"_

"Two…" the Harrier continued, unconcerned; only fixated on Keita's response. _Show me that expression. The moment that you break and reveal your true colours._

"Tch. We won't make it," Yukiko realised, slowing down.

"_Thunderbolt!" _Katy shouted; a snap of lightning arced towards the Player Hunter.

With a flick of his wrist, the Harrier coldly summoned a protective wall of Noise.

_Zap!_

The creatures screamed in agony, crackling and burning away in place of their master.

"And one…" the Player Hunter smirked, his finger tightening on the trigger.

"Damn…!" Kensei cursed.

Keita squeezed his eyes shut.

"Keita!" Charlotte yelled, struggling to stand.

"Charlotte!" Katy screamed, "you have to mov-"

The sound of the Harrier's gun ripped through the air. For a split second, Katy felt her heart seize. The next, a blinding flash of white overcame her.

"What in-…!?" The Player Hunter stepped back, caught off-guard by the brightness issuing from the young boy; droplets of luminescence danced around his and Charlotte's forms, wreathing them in a warm, flowing light.

Then, a second later, Keita opened his eyes, and it all disappeared. A burnt fragment of the bullet clattered onto the ground in front of him. "… Whoa." The word spilled from his mouth. The boy stared at the bullet, not entirely sure of what had just happened; he looked to himself, then the Reaper.

Charlotte seemed just as surprised. "Oh… Lad, that was fantastic!" She laughed giving the boy an encouraging thump on his back, before pulling him into an embrace from behind.

"Whoa- hey, wait…!" Keita stammered, his cheeks flushed with colour.

A smile crept onto Katy's lips. "They did it. It seems they didn't need words after all; just their feelings." The young lady relaxed as she marvelled at the sight, never having seen anything quite like it.

Kensei and Yukiko turned to Katy; the girl spoke, a little rattled. "Hold up… You mean they…?"

"What the…?" The Player Hunter stared at Keita in disbelief; his confidence wavered for the first time. "You… Why didn't you move, kid…?" he asked, stepping forwards.

Alarmed by the Reaper's move, Keita froze, realising that he was by no means out of the woods. Charlotte, meanwhile, seemed unconcerned, gazing at the man with annoyance as she kept a hold on her new Partner.

The Harrier began to nod his head, slowly reaching a decision. "Yeah… Yeah, that's it." He raised his gun once more. "You're just crazy. No other explanation."

"Hold it right there!"

"!?" The Player Hunter whipped around.

"_Repulsor!"_ Kensei's punch cut through the air, too fast to see. It met with nothing, however; his target had jumped back. "Heh. Fast on your feet, aren't you?" the Player remarked. Yukiko ran over to his side, raising her fists to match his stance.

"Stay out of this, hero," the Player Hunter sneered, shifting his aim to the new threats. "This ain't your problem. Run along."

"What, you planning on shooting a Pacted Player?" Kensei returned immediately, shrugging. "Given that it's Day 1, I'm pretty sure that's grounds for, ah… 'getting fired', chief."

The Player Hunter stopped, regaining his composure. "Hmph. Right you are, hero. Like you say, we Reapers can't be pickin' off Partners like that. But…" He exhaled, holstering his gun. Murmuring a small incantation, the Harrier snapped his fingers; a larger pack of Noise Symbols materialised around him. "That just leaves the 'usual' way of doing the job."

"Sure you don't wanna quit while you're ahead?" Yukiko taunted. "You couldn't even handle one little brat; I don't think your goons will have better luck against us," she added, smugly slamming her fist into her palm.

"Alright, Noise…" Ignoring the provocation, the Player Killer pointed right towards Kensei, a patient, if irritated look in his eyes, "Devour these two fools first. Make it quick."

"Hey, Kensei," Yukiko frowned, gritting her teeth. "This asshole's starting to get on my nerves."

"Heh," Kensei grinned. "Alright, Yukiko. Sounds like this calls for-"

"No. Allow me, please." Katy's voice sounded out from behind the man.

Kensei turned back to assure her. "Katy, don't worry about-" The words caught in his mouth; the girl walked past him; no trace of her previous smiling face remained. "As my colleague here says, Player Hunter. They, as well as the two here," she indicated to Charlotte and Keita, "are Pacted. _I_ am the one in violation of the rules; the Noise were pursuing me." Katy held a hand to her chest, calmly speaking the half-truth. Kensei moved to interrupt her, but she pressed on. "Being that they are illegal game, if you're in want of Points… you're free to attack me instead, whenever you wish," she finished, fixing her unflinching gaze upon the Harrier.

The air grew quiet as the Player Hunter carefully examined the third newcomer. Who was this girl? Had they met before? There was something familiar about her. Beyond that, just the young girl's presence alone exuded an unnatural pressure; the air weighed heavy upon the man's back, constricting his breathing by a small amount. He thought a little harder. "Y- you're…!" The Player Hunter's eyes widened.

Katy's gaze sharpened. _He knows._ She moved to incapacitate him…

"Hey! Behind you!" Keita screamed.

Katy and the others whipped around, only to be greeted by the sight of the distant Penalty Noise rushing towards them. She threw out a palm. "_Aquafell: Cryonis!"_ This time, a wall of water materialised, then flash-froze without delay.

Still charging forwards, the horde hit the wall head-on; moving together as one great, gelatinous mass, the predators indolently flowed around the glacial barrier, rushing and rolling along the street like floodwater from a broken dam. _Can't stop them this time…!_

"HQ, come in!" the Player Hunter shouted, bringing Katy and Kensei's attention back to him. Too late, however; he had long since taken to the skies. The Harrier soared higher and higher still, soaring out of reach as he looked down at the Players clustered beneath. "This is Yuzawa," he yelled into his Phone, "Route 5! The Rogue Player is here!"

"_!"_ Katy's eyes narrowed. She bit her lip, feeling herself being driven into a corner. _This is going downhill fast…!_

* * *

"Genkikata!" a little girl wearing a pink hoodie burst into the Dead God's Pad, calling out in a chirpy voice. "I got- whoa," she trailed off sheepishly, freezing up as she caught sight of the Black Cat's golden irises boring into her.

"Wh- _Atarashi,_ we're in the middle of something," Isshin Genkata reprimanded, throwing a quick look of apology towards the three other members of CHECKMATE before turning back to his subordinate. "I've told you before, you can't just bust in if we're having a meeti-"

"Oh!" Coco Atarashi gaped, bowing furiously to each Officer in the room before turning back to Genkata. "I'm like, seriously sorry, but it's a report from Zawazawa!" she squeaked; her Reaper's Wings twitched in anticipation as she relayed the message. "It's urgent; he says he's like, totally sure he's found the Rogue Player!"

"Whoa…!" Genkata's demeanour changed instantly. "Seriously? You hear that, your majesty?"

"Indeed…!" Goumaki Mushin's eyes lit up. _So you really were still alive after all this time, Katy. I knew that you would be. "_Then… All units are under your control, Rook; we need the Pawn brought here. _Intact,_ yes?"

"Of course, sire!" Genkata nodded. "And Atarashi," (the girl jumped), "good work. Back to your post, yeah?"

The young Reaper fidgeted with her hands for a moment, casting a jittery stare from one Officer to another, before energetically punching the air with a serious expression. "Um, okie-dok- err, on the double, Genkikata, sir!" she acknowledged before marching out, politely closing the door behind her as she left.

"One of us should perhaps accompany the forces, sir," the Queen spoke.

"Yes, a sensible line of attack, Queen," Mushin nodded, considering his three comrades. The Queen, the Bishop, and the Rook. Who to dispatch? "Very well. how about…"

* * *

"Sorry, Katy," Kensei grimaced, eyes darting from the retreating Player Hunter back to the approaching flood of Noise. "I should've thrown out a Gravity Psych-"

"It's alright. No time to worry, anyway…!" Katy ripped a Pin out of her bag. "_Cure Drink!"_ she incanted, kicking off into the air.

"Wait!" Kensei shouted, too slow to stop her.

Even as the can began to construct itself around the Pin, Katy was already throwing the whole lot to someone else. Charlotte's hand shot up, skillfully catching the fully-formed _Cure Drink._ "Ah… Potassium!"

Landing on a nearby rooftop, Katy looked back down at the street, "Go! They'll prioritise me since I'm alone!" she ordered.

"We can't just-" Kensei started.

"Take care of them, Kensei! Kitaoka!" she interrupted, not allowing any time for argument.

"Kensei!" Yukiko warned, bracing herself for impact. The man turned once more; the Penalty Noise were upon them. At the last second, the horde screeched, changing direction; they spiralled upwards, barely avoiding the vulnerable Players left below.

"Damn…!" Kensei muttered, dropping his arms now that the Penalty Noise had all but ignored them.

"No way we can follow now," Yukiko remarked pointedly, looking up at the shade sail of Noise flying over. "Scramble, Kensei?"

"Right…" he conceded, making his way over to Charlotte and Keita, the latter of whom was helping the former down the _Cure Drink_. "Come on, we'll have to group up with the others at 104. Let's go!"

* * *

_Whoosh!_

Katy tilted her upper body to the side by a minimal amount, allowing a reckless Mink Noise to harmlessly whizz past her. She raised a shaky arm for a Psych, but quickly decided against it. Her feet pounded against the concrete as she continued to run, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Her pursuers, not having to deal with the pesky handicap of gravity, were gradually closing the distance. She sidestepped a couple more Noise, then jumped another gap; the next building across seemed to be two or three stories down…

"Rogue Player sighted at Route 5, crossing into Route 4!"

Surprised, Katy glanced to the right; flying after her was another Harrier; a Baritone Reaper. _Troublesome._ "_Nngh…!"_ Katy exhaled, the impact of hitting the concrete bending her knees.

"Target is escaping from the Penalty Noise via rooftops!" The Baritone yelled into his Phone as he zoomed after the girl, "we have a good chance to capture her! All units converge here!"

"Tsk…" clicking her tongue in irritation, Katy kept running. Even as she fled, however, the girl was still counting the seconds; the amount of time that had passed since the Penalty Noise had emerged from the Scramble Crossing. _It's almost time._ She vaulted to the next building over, only to be intercepted by a female Tenor as she landed.

The Harrier aimed a vicious strike at the young Player's temple. "You're going down!"

Katy 'tripped' herself, toppling forwards; the woman's fist barely scuffed the top of her hair. Twisting her body around to face her assailant as she fell, she calmly held out her palm. "_Shock."_

_Wham!_

"_Gah!"_ the Tenor let out a pained cry as a sharp burst of pressure hit her square in the chest, knocking her backwards.

Just as Katy's shoulder made contact with the rooftop, the girl slammed her palm down and pushed herself into a tumbling roll; cartwheeling back onto her feet, she approached the next edge, still counting. _Not long now…_ Katy pushed off, soaring over the wide gap leading to the next roof-

_Bang!_

Katy gasped as a bullet shot past her, grazing her arm.

"Just shoot her down!" The Baritone barked an order. "She can't dodge forever!"

"R- Right…!" the Tenor coughed, still winded. She drew her own firearm.

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

The pair continued to fly after the girl, frantically unloaded their weapons as they went.

Katy erratically ducked and weaved about, avoiding bullets and Noise alike. Spotting a Grizzly, she performed an evasive somersault, springing over the beast; flipping through the air, she stuck the landing-

_Bang!_

"_Agh!" _Katy stumbled as the bullet tore through her leg. Losing her footing, the Player tumbled forwards into a feet-first slide.

"Got her!" The Tenor whooped. "Let's see her jump now!"

Unflinching, Katy reached for a different Pin as she continued to careen across the smooth stone of the rooftop. "_Pulse Break,"_ she remarked, tapping the metallic disk against the polished surface beneath her.

_Boom!_

The effect was instant; as if the surface Katy was sliding upon was that of a colossal bass drum, the tiny 'click' of her Pin against the stone was amplified into a deafening blast of bass, catapulting her into the air, over the gap.

Soaring through the air, Katy took the opportunity to survey the way ahead. Below was Miyashita Park; the very next district marked Cat Street and… _The Ruins! Almost there… _She braced herself, noting the distance to the next rooftop. The touchdown from such a height would undoubtedly be painful, yes. But as long as she could heal herself quick enough…

"_Hrk…!"_ Agony suddenly shot through Katy as she came to an excruciatingly sudden stop; not through her legs, but her spinal column. The petite young girl struggled to draw breath as she felt her vertebrae being pulled apart by the discs. Disoriented, she cast her eyes downwards, only to see that she hadn't so much as touched upon the rooftop's surface. She furiously kicked her boots about, fruitlessly searching for a foothold to alieviate her choking, to free herself from the torture of hanging by her neck… and that's when she took notice of the arm wrapped around her throat.

"Heh. See that? I got her!" a rough, unrefined voice thundered in Katy's ears. The musclebound Bass Reaper tightened his chokehold around the Player, pulling her higher into the air with a flap of his wings. "This kid ain't nothin'. Can't believe all y'all had trouble with one little mouse!" The man guffawed as he callously swung his catch around, loudly boasting as he showed his accomplishment off to his comrades. Deprived of oxygen, Katy wildly flailed her arms, desperately clawing, pushing, and pulling at the Reaper behind her. losing strength, Katy's thrashing slowly died down. The girl's consciousness began to slip away. Her limbs twitched, convulsing in an unsettling manner as her body started to shut itself down. Her mind barely managed to register the events unfolding before her half-closed eyes. The ever-growing army of Noise seemed more docile now, calmed by the Reapers' presence; more and more Harriers were arriving by the minute, encircling her and her captor; the reinforcements chattered amongst themselves as they drew closer.

"We got her!"

"Great work!"

"Haul her back to HQ!"

Her last sight was that of a gigantic Drake Noise tearing itself out of a dimensional rift; the beast reared its menacing head, letting out a roar that shook the very buildings below _There it is… But, I'm already…_ The last vestiges of Katy's conscious mind vanished, her thoughts sinking into darkness.

* * *

"I think we've lost 'em, you two," Charlotte noted, cheerfully gazing back as they ran through the Scramble Crossing. Catching Keita's attention with a wave, she thrust out a thumbs-up to reassure him. He returned the gesture with a nervous smile and a nod.

"We're probably far away enough, yeah," Kensei agreed. "We shouldn't hang around in the open, though. We'll continue to 104, just to be safe."

"Good," Yukiko panted, starting to tire, "that's what I wanted from the beginning."

"Ach, but I really appreciate you comin' out to save us, Yukiko," Charlotte laughed, "Y'were like a pair of superheroes, Ken."

"I wasn't doin' it for you, ginger," Kitaoka grumbled. "If Kensei gets Erased, I'm dead in the water; that's all."

"Aw, you're always such a bashful lass, really," Charlotte giggled, waving off the irritable teen's protests.

"Tch." Yukiko dropped the conversation, not finding it worth the aggravation. She looked to her own Partner for support, but stopped, noticing a pensive look on his face. Making sure that Charlotte wouldn't hear her, she pulled closer to him. "Hey, uh…" she panted between gasps. "You alright? You've got your serious face on."

Kensei took a second to register the question. "Hm?" He looked at his Partner for a moment, then smiled. "Worried about me, Yukik-"

"Drop the happy-go-lucky act, and just tell me if something's wrong, idiot. Otherwise I'm running ahead," she cut him off, unamused.

Kensei chuckled, shaking his head. But then, he did as he was told; his smile evaporated. "I'm just worried about Katy, you know." He glanced back, hoping to see the girl trailing after them.

"You're the one who said she knows what she's doing, so why're _you_ stressing?"

"…"

"… Oh, I get it." Yukiko produced her notebook, skillfully spinning a pen around her fingers as she flipped to the section titled **[Kensei Tetsuyou]**. "Has a…" she mumbled, writing as neatly as she could while she ran. "… massive… crush on… Katy-" Kensei stumbled, sputtering. His arm lashed out to snatch the notebook; Yukiko simply veered to the side, holding it out of reach. She smirked, adding another line. "He's… blushing. _Very_ cute."

"_No,_ you idiot…!" Kensei made another swipe for the notebook, missing again.

"Who're you calling an idiot, idiot?!" Yukiko fired back, scribbling faster in retaliation.

Charlotte glanced back, wondering what the argument was about. Keita continued to run along in silence, a laboured expression on his face as he pushed his frail legs to their limit.

Kensei considered his Partner for a moment. He sighed, giving up on retrieving the notebook. "No, Yukiko, it's just… I'm sure she has a plan, but of _course_ I'm going to worry about her. Penalty Noise and Reapers and all…"

"… That one said something about a 'Rogue Player'. Any idea what that's about?" Yukiko frowned, a vague memory bubbling up in her subconscious.

"… I'll 'remind' you later."

"Ah," Yukiko nodded, understanding. "Gotcha. In the meantime, don't stress yourself, huh?" She smacked her Partner's arm with her notebook. "Like you said… she's the strongest Player you know."

* * *

Katy's eyes snapped open. Reflexively, her hands grabbed onto the bulky arm constricting her windpipe, attempting to rip the noose from her neck.

"Huhhh?" the Bass Reaper drew out the sound of mock confusion; complete, total arrogance coloured his voice. "Well, whaddaya know? Mouse's got some fight left in her." Smirking, the well-toned Harrier flexed his muscles and tightened his hold on the Player, throttling her further.

A strangled, choking scream escaped from Katy's throat as she felt her vertebrae pop. A handful of other Reapers flew over to assist.

"Grab her arms!"

"Restrain her!"

"Don't let her get away!"

Feeling herself beginning to pass out again, Katy willed herself to focus on freeing a limb first, trying to ignore the unbelievable pain she was in. _No choice…! _Letting out an animalistic growl from the effort, Katy managed to wrench one arm free; her hand plunged into her bag, swiftly tearing out a Pin adorned with a detailed depiction of a cataclysmic storm.

The Bass's cocky demeanour instantly evaporated as he caught sight of the weapon in his prey's hand; for the briefest moment, the man froze up as he attempted to comprehend what he was seeing. _That Pin… it's a Lv. 4…! Ain't no way she could use that… right?_

The sky turned an even darker shade of overcast grey as the gloomy clouds began to converge above them…

Taking advantage of her captor's moment of hesitation, Katy finally succeeded in budging his arm by the tiniest amount, allowing herself one, precious breath of air. Casting her Pin-wielding hand up towards the rumbling skies, the girl roared. "_Heaven's Divide!"_

An ear-splitting explosion boomed through the Cat Street as a blinding bolt of lightning detonated upon Katy. Nobody even had time to blink; the heavy mass of black clouds had parted with a fleeting flash, and a column of light had descended to strike its target.

The Reapers restraining Katy seized up as 100 million volts of electricity coursed through them. Barely maintaining a physical form; their visages sputtered in and out of visibility, flickering like white noise. The Bass's arm creaked as Katy's weight pulled the limb open, releasing her entirely.

"Sh-… _Shock,"_ Katy coughed out as she fell towards an adjacent building, breaking her fall by firing a buffering gust at the rooftop. Winded, the girl hit the rough surface hard, and rolled to a stop. "… _Cure Essence,"_ she whispered. She felt as though she had broken a bone or two, and that was saying nothing of the multiple bruises and lacerations she had sustained. Fortunately, the healing Psych dealt with those little problems. Tendrils of fluorescent neon encircled the girl, mending her beaten body back together and breathing vigour back into her spirit. Trembling slightly, she stood to her feet. As she rose, she caught sight of the now-unconscious Reapers plummeting downwards, crashing into the streets below.

"That idiot…"

"That's what he gets for actin' so damn cocky…"

"But that Player…"

Sufficiently steadied, Katy cast her eyes around her. Now accompanying the now-placid army of Noise was a whole legion of Reapers; the troops encircled her from all sides, cautiously hovering at a safe distance. Having just witnessed their target strike their comrades down by commanding the very weather itself… they seemed a touch apprehensive.

_Well… I've long since given away my location. That being the case…!_ Katy drew one more Pin; the very last one.

"Hey, she's up to something! Stop her!" One of the Reapers barked out a warning.

_Too late._ Channelling the remainder of her energy into the next Psych, Katy drew a foot back across the rough rooftop, adjusting her stance.

As if triggered by the scuffing sound of Katy's boot, a furious gale began to whirl around the Player; the wind howled, violently buffeting the surrounding Harriers about. The Reapers yelled in surprise, flinging their arms up in a bid to shield themselves from the fierce storm.

"1.61803398874989484820…" Tightly clenching the Pin in her hand, Katy began chanting a string of numbers. "… 45868343656381177203…"

One of the Reapers yelled something unintelligible, signalling to his companions with a wave of his hand; the Reapers, as well as the Noise, charged forward. Try as they might, however, their forges were quickly flung away one by one as they neared the eye of the storm; their wings flapped pitifully, holding up as well a paper boat in a maelstrom. The Noise fared slightly better, though many of the smaller Symbols still found themselves being caught in the riptide, screeching disharmoniously as they were torn to shreds.

"… 091798057628621354486227052604628189024497072072041893911374…" Katy focused, not allowing the hundreds of approaching hostiles to break her concentration. At that speed, they wouldn't be reaching her in time, anyway. "… 8475408807538689175212663386222353693179…" _Now,_ Katy stamped upon the concrete; the cyclonic sphere of wind expanded away from her, blowing the enemy forces a good distance back; the twister, having grown beyond a stable size, collapsed and dissipated, leaving the air in a startling state of calm.

Only one enemy had not been forced to retreat: The cobalt-tinted variant of the Ragtime Drake. The wyvern behemoth dropped onto the rooftop with an earth-shaking force; Katy jumped back to allow herself some breathing room. A low roar issued from the beast's jaws as it stared the young Player down, dripping sizzling, acidic saliva onto the concrete surface upon which it stood.

"Call it off!" A Harrier yelled. "We need her alive!"

_The last of the Penalty Noise… the Ringleader, at last,_ Katy grimaced. _Perfect._ Raising her voice, the girl finished incanting her spell. "… 31800607667263544333…!" Incandescent rays shone fiercely out of the gaps between Katy's clenched fingers. Despite not having yet activated the Psych, sparks and embers seemed to dance around her fist. The young girl collected herself before opening her mouth. "All of you are currently within my range," she warned. "I'll let you know that I was holding back with that earlier Psych. This time, however," the girl held up her fist for her pursuers to examine more clearly, trying not to think about how painfully the hot metal was scorching her, "if you continue to pursue me, I will not hesitate to activate this Psych and Erase every single one of you in the vicinity."

The Harriers looked to each other; some simply seemed confused, whilst others clearly did not buy into the threat, thinking it a bluff. There were, however, a good number who were recalling the Player's earlier display. She _had_ managed to cast a _Lv. 4_ Psych; something even a lower-ranking Officer might not be able to do.

"This is your final warning," Katy continued. "If any of you move to attack me-"

Suddenly, the Ringleader Drake lurched forward with a gaping maw, its heavy frame shaking the rooftop as it barrelled towards the unguarded Player. The Noise roared, snapping its powerful jaws onto the girl… or at least, it would have, if she hadn't caught it by the snout.

"… That's that, then," Katy remarked in a neutral tone. "You have ten seconds." With a quick wind-up, Katy's open hand released the Drake… "_Repulsor!" _… and delivered a sharp, fierce punch to its face; the Noise let out a hissing growl, skidding back to the edge of the rooftop. Katy focused on her Pin once more; it shone brighter and brighter by the second, burning brightly through her skin; even the Reapers high in the sky could feel the heat coursing out of the weapon.

"Retreat!" one of the Harriers shrieked with wild eyes, his voice cracking with fear. "She was incanting an imaginary number; that Psych's a _Lv. i_ flare!" The man shrieked once more, his voice cracking with fear. Having informed his fellow Reapers of the danger, the Harrier took off, flying away from the danger zone as fast as his wings would allow.

"What the hell!?"

"He's kidding, right?"

"Oh, snap…"

"Move, move!"

Disarray and hysteria permeated the Reapers as they fled; some were quick on the uptake, whilst others were shocked enough that they had to take a moment to process what was happening; a handful of Reapers in particular were valiant enough to retrieve their half-dead, lightning-struck comrades before evacuating the area with the rest.

The only threat that remained were the Noise. Registering that their Reaper masters had abandoned the chase, the swarm moved on instinct once more and swiftly surrounded the standing Player, undeterred by the Player's threat.

Front.

Back.

Left.

Right.

Even the skies above were blotted out by the all-encompassing orb of Symbols that Katy was now trapped within. No matter where she looked, she could only see a swirling sea of red and black. The one outlier was the cobalt Ringleader Drake standing within the crimson-tinted prison; Katy's only source of company in the void of noisy Noise.

The Drake took a menacing step forward; its talons crashed into the rooftop, shaking its surface.

"Nowhere to run," Katy noted, her voice deathly quiet; the Noise were slowly closing in, gradually reducing the space in her cage.

Another step.

The girl didn't move. "Nowhere to hide…"

Another. With that final crash, the Drake found itself within range; it paused, as if considering exactly how it wanted to devour its prey. The dome of Noise had now compressed itself down to a fraction of its original size; soon, the whirling wall of Symbols would shred the captive teenager to pieces.

The girl raised her head to face the mammoth dragon before her. "Nowhere for _you,_ that is." Her eyes blazed with an inextinguishable fire as she drew a deep breath into her core.

Having savoured its quarry for long enough, the Ringleader Drake roared directly in the young Player's face, then went for the kill.

Katy simply opened her hand; an infernal star now sat in the centre of her palm.

"_Imagine Flare."_

* * *

**_New Day: Part II - Threads Severed, Threads Stitched_**

* * *

**Made it to the end, I see!**

**As always, support/feedback is appreciated, but aside from that, thank you very much for reading this far; I hope you're enjoying the story.**

**Speaking of support, thank you to EeveeGen9988 for allowing me to borrow her character, Yukiko Kitaoka! I'm having a lot of fun writing her; I hope you're okay with the changes I've made, as well, ahaha.**

**Until next chapter, be well!**

**-X**


	3. Chapter III: Evasion

**Chapter**** III: ****Evasion**

"That kid… what was wrong with him…?" Tohru Yuzawa muttered to himself as he sat atop the skyscraper, watching from a safe distance as the Rogue Player fled from the reinforcements he had called. "Idealist? Too scared to even move? Just crazy? He didn't seem to understand what I was saying at times…" he continued, replaying the situation over and over in his head as the swarm of Penalty Noise joined the reinforcements in chasing the Rogue Player down. She was nearing Miyashita Park; at that rate, she would soon cross into the remains of Cat Street and the rest of the earthquake-struck Ruins beyond.

"You seem relaxed."

Hearing a voice from behind, Yuzawa turned his head. A woman with long black hair and bandaged limbs stood before him; a ragged set of fluttering clothing and a tattered scarf obscured the majority of her features. "Officer Noraneko," he acknowledged, barely respectful enough not to tread into being carelessly casual. "So the Rogue Player really is that important, huh? Enough that the Conductor would send out someone like you." His tone shifted, becoming more inquisitive. "You'd think a target that important would merit tellin' us rank-and-file _why_ she's so important, especially since we've been searchin' for her for so long. Hm?" The question itself was innocent enough on its own, though Yuzawa's demeanour clearly indicated a challenging undertone.

Noraneko's golden irises stared back apathetically at the Harrier. "The Composer wants her. That's all you need to know," she remarked simply, before abruptly switching topics. "You aren't giving chase?"

"Hmph. Do I need to? The reinforcements, the Penalty Noise… I think they've got this covered; I've done my part. What about you… _Officer_ Noraneko?" he returned the question, smirking.

"No. They won't succeed."

Yuzawa raised an eyebrow, momentarily dropping his self-assured manner. "Oh yeah? And how's that…?"

"My Soul Revel. I can feel it." Her slitted pupils narrowed as she continued to observe the fleeing Player. "Luck is with her… It's dangerous to approach her right now." Noraneko's usually placid-expression twitched for a moment as she considered the Rogue Player, interested.

"Is that right…? You Officers with your 'Soul Revel' talk. An 'ability unique to you' sounds useful, but I couldn't for the life of me imagine how you developed somethin' like that. Care to teach me some time, 'Black Cat'?" he chuckled, adding the Noraneko's well-known nickname in with a playfully sarcastic chuckle.

Noraneko gave no response; ignoring the jab, she moved onto a new topic once more. "The Conductor wants to see you."

This time, Yuzawa's smirk vanished completely, replaced by a frown. "… Really now?"

"'You've done well. I want to reward you personally'… or whatever," she parroted, turning away. "Back to HQ. Let's go."

Yuzawa slowly got to his feet, a little surprised that the Officer was in fact quite serious about leaving the Rogue Player. He cast a quick glance over to the area around Cat Street; he could make out the girl surrounded by Reapers and Noise alike. '_Luck is with her'? She's kidding me, right?_ Scoffing, Yuzawa made to follow Noraneko, wondering what the Conductor had in store for him.

* * *

"'Keita Choujumyou', huh? Aw, I like that! It's really delicate, ken!" Charlotte clapped her hands and giggled joyfully. Her new Partner looked on cluelessly, still holding his Phone up:

**My name is Keita Choujumyou [****蝶寿命 敬太****]**

**It's very nice to meet you both.**

The duo were accompanied by Yukiko within the lobby of 104; a short distance away stood Kensei, and a farther distance past him, a sizable group of twenty-something others. The gathered Players sat restlessly within the lobby, taking care to remain far away enough from any of the mall's storefronts to avoid modulating into the RG via Decal.

"That's great," Yukiko remarked, sounding entirely unimpressed. Her pen swam across the page of her open notebook, marking the new section, **[Keita Choujumyou]**. "Oh. Just the name's fine," she clarified with an ok hand sign, already diligently recording her thoughts on the newcomer.

Keita stared back at the girl, a mixture of uncertainty and half-understanding on his face. The girl writing in her notebook wore a simple outfit: A t-shirt, baggy shorts, and sneakers; aside from the trio of headbands, the only other distinguishing feature was her tattered, fingerless black gloves that extended up to her upper arm. Something about her was different from the other Players to Keita; something about her seemed… off. But what was it?

"_Ahem,"_ Kensei cleared his throat, loud enough for Yukiko to hear from the other side of the lobby.

Yukiko rolled her eyes, not bothering to turn around and face the man. "Er. And it's nice to meet you, or whatever," she added, gesticulating as best she could whilst adding a quick, noncommittal bow.

"Ah… Thank you," Keita stammered, returning the bow. He raised his head, and offered a handshake, but the abrasive girl had already walked off. "Um…" His expression fell; he turned to his Partner for support.

"Don't mind Yukiko, min; she's just a right grumpy lass," Charlotte grinned cheerfully. "You're such a cutie though. Y'even wrote 'nice to meet you' in there!" she laughed. "I thought y'were deaf, not mute- ah." The girl's pleasant expression evaporated; she groaned, realising a little late the futility of her words. Slumping over, she hid her face in her hands, mumbling, "he's _deaf,"_ to herself ten times or so.

_Uh-oh,_ Keita gripped his chest, watching his Partner rocking back and forth on the smooth flooring of the lobby. _Did I do something wrong?_

_Of course you did,_ the negative part of him cut in immediately. _You're acting all awkward as usual. Probably making her really uncomfortable._

"Umm…" Keita tried to think of something to say, but found his mind to be preoccupied debating with itself. His gaze wandered around the room before settling on his camera; his hands cradled the device carefully, with the tenderness that a parent would have with their newborn.

Noticing Keita's anxiety, Charlotte quickly sat up and threw her smile back on. She began to type out a note on her own Phone.

Keita took the time to look his new Partner over. A lithe, athletic-looking young woman, Charlotte had a long set of loose curls that were swept into a faux undercut; the orange tresses contrasted strongly with her aquamarine eyes. In the way of clothing, she wore a simple royal-blue midriff tank top. Compression sleeves extended from above her elbow to her wrists, with her hands being snugly covered by a pair of fingerless, snap-cuff, half-scoop gloves. Finally, a pair of compression leggings led down to a pair of sleek, black biker boots. _She seems like the active type._ Keita noted the consistent black compression gear and gloves, wondering if she was as athletically capable as the outfit indicated.

Just then, she finished her message.

**Love your name! I'm Charlotte Kurogami [****黒神 シャーロット****]**

**Pleased to meet you, too. Call me Lottie if you like!**

**The grumpy lass is Yukiko Kitaoka [****北岡 雪子****]. Don't let her get to you, yeah? I'll introduce you to the others later.**

**And don't mind me! Just need to get used to your Entry Fee. I'm a bit of a chatterbox.**

**^-^ /**

"Kurogami…" Keita relaxed a little upon reading the message. "N- nice to meet you. Uh. Again." He bowed his head hastily, avoiding eye contact. _So she's not mad at me… That's good._

_Well, then again, she did just say that your Entry Fee is causing her trouble._

Keita's chest tightened up again. _Yeah, but… it's not like I _chose _my Entry Fee-_

_You're still causing trouble for her._

"Mnngh." Keita lowered his head further, self-consciously pulling twirling and pulling at his hair.

Meanwhile, Yukiko was making her way back to the larger group of Players. Veterans and newcomers alike seemed to be discussing the situation, with many turning to Emma and Takaharu more than once for their input. Takaharu proactively made his way around the Players, energetically ensuring that everyone was feeling up to scratch, whilst Emma calmly fielded concerns and questions being thrown at her with her signature professional grace. Before Yukiko could catch any of the conversation, however, Kensei joined her.

"Hey," he greeted, walking alongside her. "How'd it go?"

"How'd _asking for his name_ go?" Yukiko brought a finger to her chin, nodding slowly with a transparently sarcastic imitation of thoughtfulness. "I dunno man, it was tough, but I pulled it off somehow."

"Uh… huh." Kensei nodded slowly, feeling like he knew where she was headed. "So… You seem mad at me-"

"_Yeah,_ I'm mad at you, dumbass…!" Yukiko glared at him incredulously; the two didn't break their stride, despite this. "What was the one condition I gave for helping you with the recovery missions?"

Kensei pursed his lips for a moment, but answered honestly. "That I not overextend myself."

"And did you _agree_ to that condition?"

"Yeah. I did."

"And did it occur to you that maybe," Yukiko held a hand up, shaking lightly with disbelief. "Just _maybe,_ going after and actually fighting against a swarm of goddamn Penalty Noise could have counted as 'overextending yourself'?"

Kensei remained silent for a moment, quietly clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Well," he began-

"Mmmm, _no,_ there's no '_well',_ you braindead oaf…!" Yukiko interrupted, her voice rising slightly in frustration. She managed to bring it back down, fortunately. "You're my Partner. You're _supposed_ to be the one person I can trust. Try a little harder, or I won't come along to your little recovery missions anymore, Kensei. And don't try to play the 'then I'll have to go alone' card again, either; it won't work." Scoffing, the girl flipping over to diary section in her notebook, jotting down an entry with the current date and time.

**Bleeding-heart hero strikes again. Dragged me into helping some Players (Katy, Charlotte Kurogami, Keita Choujumyou) escape the Penalty Noise. YES, THE ****PENALTY NOISE****. Don't let him have his way again.**

"Yukiko, I'm sorry. You're right, I went against our agreement," Kensei acknowledged. "I couldn't just leave them, though. Do you understand why, at leas-"

"No," his Partner replied bluntly. "I get that you like to help others, Kensei, I do. And I'm real glad that it's what gives you happiness." She snapped her book shut, pointing it at him. "_But._ This is the Reapers' Game. We gotta put our own survival first. Playing the hero is nice and all, and I've got no problems with you doing just that. But if you're gonna pull stupid stunts like this and endanger _our_ lives too, that's where you lose me."

The man gave no response; only an understanding, if slightly unapologetic look. He already knew how she felt about the subject, and she knew how he felt in turn.

"Nothing more to say, huh?" Yukiko checked. After a few seconds had passed, she reared back and smacked him hard with her notebook. She turned away. "I'm gonna go cool off." And with that simple statement, she walked off, grumbling.

Kensei stood there for a moment, watching his Partner walk off. Sighing, he pulled out his comb and ran it through his hair. "Great stuff, Kensei," he muttered, walking over to check on Charlotte and Keita.

"But how? He was like, the smartest guy out of all of us!"

"He's right! You can't be serious, Ishikawa!"

Meanwhile, Ishikawa and Takaharu stood before the clamouring Players, giving them a moment longer to voice their feelings and concerns. "I understand how you all feel," she assured, her voice, though being compassionate, was even more so matter-of-fact. "Unfortunately, it _is_ what has happened. I'll take this time to remind you that the Player Hunter has rarely been sighted attacking anyone in the open," she pointed out, calmly adjusting her glasses. "Avoid alleyways and side-streets. Don't split off from your Partner. And always be alert."

"Ishikawa," a particularly riled up Player spoke, "is that really all we can do? Run and cower? Do you intend to let this man get away with what he's done?"

"That's not it at all," Ishikawa shook her head. "I'm simply advising the best precautions to be taki-"

"Emma, those 'precautions' ain't good enough," yet another Player called out. "Think about how we're feeling. Think about how _Charlotte_ is feeling! Shouldn't we ask her what _she_ thinks-"

"Kurogami has already made it clear that she does not want anyone to be reckless; I wouldn't have asked her to sit out this conversation if she had anything further to add." Ishikawa glanced over to the lass; she still seemed to be peacefully chatting away with Keita.

"She's only able to say that because of her Entry Fee!" someone else pointed out. "You know she'd be _far_ more upset if not for that!"

"Regardless," Ishikawa reiterated, feeling her hold slipping. "Acting off emotion isn't going to get us anywhere. Yukimura knew that as well-"

"You've always been good at supporting Jun, Kensei, and the rest of us when we need a level head, Emma; ain't nobody gonna argue with that," another Player stood as he spoke, garnering everyone's attention. "But this is _not_ one of those times. We can't just take this lying down; we've lost way too many of us to this one guy," he pressed on, the emotion evident in his face and voice. The other Players began to nod in agreement. "_I_ say we track down this Player Hunter bastard and give him what he deserves; show him that you don't mess with us! Yeah?" He looked to the others for support; the crowd began to shout out their agreement. Ishikawa frowned, gritting her teeth as she saw arguments beginning to unfold amidst her comrades; losing patience, she opened her mouth to silence everyone…

"Hey, we get it!" Takaharu spoke for the first time, his voice calm; he gently pushed Ishikawa back to step past her. "I'm with you; this Player Hunter has hurt us too many times for too long, and he'll _keep_ hurting us unless we stop him, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"That's right!"

"Exactly!"

Takaharu nodded understandingly, waiting for a moment before continuing. "The Player Hunter is too dangerous to be ignored, like you're saying. We've had our teammates, our _friends_ ripped away from us by this guy. We're not about to let him get away with it."

The crowd murmured in agreement. A select few once again shouted their approval.

Ishikawa tried to restrain herself, but her mouth moved without consent. "Takaharu, wh-"

"_That's_ why," Takaharu raised his voice before Ishikawa could continue. "Emma and I'll discuss a plan with Kensei to take this guy down; in the meantime, we gotta make sure to actually survive long enough to smack it to this guy. I know it's tough, but we gotta bide our time; can I count on you all to keep each other safe until we call on you?" The young man's usually silly expression was all but deadly serious; his trusting gaze swept across the room, looking from Player to Player.

Emma stood quietly behind her Partner. Her fists were clenched; her body trembled with effort.

"Y- yeah," a nervous young girl called out. "I- it's like Takaharu says; we need to stick together!"

A moment of silence… and then the crowd seemed to come to an understanding. The tense whispering and murmuring turned to supportive cries and cheers.

Takaharu grinned. "Thanks, everyone! And Saya," he pointed to the nervous girl. "Great attitude! I know you'll make an amazing Player!"

Saya's eyes went wide for a moment, not expecting Takaharu to remember her. Nonetheless, she bowed in thanks.

"Okay," Takaharu checked his Phone; he frowned for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Let's sit tight a while longer. There might still be some Penalty Noise lurking outside." With that, the group began to relax, starting up casual conversation with each other. Takaharu gently took Ishikawa's arm and walked to an emptier part of the lobby. "Hey," he whispered, carefully checking behind him to make sure they were out of earshot. "Entry Fee?"

Ishikawa, likewise, first cast a precautionary glace behind her. "Yeah," she answered as best she could. The profuse bleeding from her now-open mouth made it a little difficult, naturally.

"Good god, Emma…!" Takaharu grit his teeth, fishing a handkerchief out of his pocket; he moved to help, but Ishikawa recoiled, holding up a defensive hand.

"I can do it. Thank you," she added, turning her palm upright.

"Sure," Takaharu agreed without argument, immediately handing the handkerchief over. "You really took 'biting your tongue' to a new level, huh?" he winced, watching the straight-faced girl calmly wiping the static from her lips and chin.

"I'm sorry about the handkerchief," Ishikawa noted emotionlessly. "I'll buy you a new one later-"

"Who cares about that? Jeez…!" Takaharu rummaged through the pockets of his parka, quickly locating the Pin he wanted. "_Cure Drink."_ The can formed in half a second; the young man thrust it in front of his Partner.

With a nod of thanks, Ishikawa took the healing Psych; the deep bite marks on her tongue mended themselves; the bleeding stopped.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Ishikawa readjusted her glasses and re-tightened her short ponytail.

"… That was stronger than usual, Emma," Takaharu pressed, his brow furrowing. "Is it about Yukimura-"

"I said, I'm fine…!" Ishikawa repeated, feeling herself slipping once more. "You're going to trigger it again, so shut up and stop worrying-" Realising what she was saying, the girl clapped a hand over her mouth.

The comment had indeed stopped Takaharu; he seemed to struggle for a moment, unsure about whether to press further.

"… Takaharu, I-"

"No, you're right… Sorry. I'll give you some space." Pulling the brim of his visor down to mask his expression, the young man walked off, leaving Ishikawa standing alone. Her expression softened, turning remorseful as she watched her Partner's back.

Arriving next to Keita and Charlotte, Kensei raised a friendly hand as he sat next to the pair. "Yo. How's it going with the kid, Lottie?"

"Heyyy, ya fit like, Kensei?" Charlotte laughed, giving the man a gentle poke with her Phone. "Just introduced the lad to Yukiko. You've got perfect timing, ken." She typed a quick note out.

**This is Yukiko's Partner, Kensei Tetsuyou [****鋼夭 健成****]**

**He's kind of like our captain. Real friendly, real supportive!**

Glancing at what had been written, Kensei chuckled. He bowed politely, mouthing 'nice to meet you' with a smile.

"N- nice to meet you too…!" Keita perked up at the man's welcoming demeanour, taking the time to more closely examine him. The tall man wore a simple white dress shirt with rolled sleeves; his legs were clad in blue dress trousers of similar quality, capped off by a pair of muted, dull purple derbies. The stand-out feature was definitely the red streak of dye in his quiff. "Oh," Keita realised, "I'm uh, Keita Choujumyou, by the way." He smiled nervously, extending a hand.

Kensei's eyes widened a small amount; taken slightly aback, he let out an apologetic laugh, awkwardly holding up his hands. "Ah… Sorry, I can't."

"O- oh…?" Keita lowered his hand a little, uncertain. He looked from the discomforted man to Charlotte.

The girl frantically waved her hand back and forth, an urgent look on her face. Swiftly typing out an explanation, she flipped her Phone around to show Keita.

The young man's eyes slid across the words on-screen. It took a moment for him to process what he had just read, but… "Huh. Is… is that right?" He looked back to Kensei; neither of them seemed to be joking. "Okay. I… I understand-" Then, Keita stopped, noticing something else. _Isn't it kinda…?_ "Um. Kurogami, Tetsuyou… Isn't it getting a little warm in here?"

"Warm?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow, glancing at her light attire. She shook her head. "Not fer me, lad. Kensei?"

The man dropped his smile. Then he gently pulled at his collar. "Huh. Might be my imagination, but actually…" As he wondered, a strong wave of intense heat suddenly washed across them. The other Players sat upright, noticing a slight tremor in the ground. "No… did she…?"

"Whoa- Kensei!?"

Ignoring Charlotte's cry, Kensei ran to the entrance of 104, just in time to see a surge of brilliant white blooming over the overcast skyline, almost as though a supernova had exploded over the horizon of Shibuya.

* * *

_**New Day: Part III**_

* * *

Katy's mind slowly surfaced from the depths of unconsciousness. Her first thoughts formed as she regained cognition. _Where… am I? Everything's black._ Indeed, she couldn't see a single thing. The thought occurred that opening her eyes might help. Just before she tried that, however, she noticed that there was something else she couldn't do.

She couldn't breathe.

Eyes snapping open, Katy rolled over onto her front. Her chest seized, expelling water from her airway with a bout of violent coughing. Pain stabbed at her as she gasped for air, frantically attempting to identify her surroundings. _An alleyway…?_ The observation barely sounded in her mind before being drowned out by another round of coughing. _Rain…!_ she realised a little late. Thick, heavy sheets of grey poured down upon her back; the vivid sound of drops splattering into dirty concrete overwhelmed her for a moment. In the distance, thunder rumbled ominously. "_Nnngh…!"_ With considerable effort, Katy managed to force herself to her feet. Just as quickly, however, she lost her balance; she fell to the side, saved from crashing back into the muddy ground by an adjacent wall. The girl shook; sharp, rasping gasps escaping her mouth as she held herself. _S- so cold…_ Her trembling fingers made their way to her bag, but… _N- no…!_ Dull, uncomprehending shock hit her as she looked to herself, and the alley around her; it was nowhere to be seen. Shivering uncontrollably, the girl took a small, unsteady step forwards. Her legs felt as though they were weighed down by cement. Slowly, gradually, she dragged herself to the end of the alleyway. _This is…_ Peering out around the corner, Katy saw nothing but cracked, crumbling, half-destroyed buildings. _Cat Street,_ she confirmed to herself, finally getting her breathing under control. She examined the closer end of the street, which lead into Miyashita Park. _Just inside the Ruins. How long have I been unconscious?_ Gritting her teeth, the girl staggered out of the alleyway. _The safehouse at Wildkat… It should be close._

Before she could move any further, however, she caught sight of someone in the distance, standing in the middle of the road. _A child?_ Taken aback, Katy widened her eyes. "H-… Hey…!" she called out, lungs weak. With her limbs feeling a little lighter, she picked up the pace, jogging towards the lone child. "_Heeeyyy…!"_ she tried again, a little louder. The heavy rain likely muffled Katy's voice, just as it almost completely obscured the unmoving child's form. _Is it not a Player?_ Katy considered, wondering who else would be standing outside in such conditions. As she got closer, however, the child turned, showing his face. Katy stopped in her tracks, her chest contracting. Time slowed to a crawl as she realised who she was staring at; the shock hit like a train. She could only just make it out in the rain, but… it was definitely him. Koushi and Kensei's brother, who had gone missing at the end of the last Reaper's Game.

Hiro Tetsuyou.

Hiro flinched, raising his arms for one moment. The next, he spun around, taking off.

"Wh- _Hiro!"_ Her heart hammering in her chest, Katy took a moment to understand what was happening before giving chase. "Wait, it's me-"

_Boom!_

A clap of thunder exploded overhead, drowning out the girl's cry. She begged her deadened legs to push harder, feeling her chest tightening as she began to lose ground on the fleeing boy. Hiro turned into one of the countless ruined buildings in the district. Adrenaline shot through Katy as she realised he was closing the door behind him. _Hiro…!_ Rather than expending breath again, she simply shot forwards, desperate to make it in time. "_Agh…!"_ A stifled scream escaped as the door slammed shut on her fingers; she shifted her body against it before the latch could click into place, but Hiro himself was still pushing from the other side. "Hiro, open the door!" she managed.

The boy yelled something back, but it was muffled by the ongoing rain, as well as the door itself.

Katy struggled, ignoring the agonising pain in her definitely broken fingers. With a deep breath, she planted her feet, and shoved her full weight against the door, forcing it open. The two tumbled onto splintered, cracked wooden flooring; Hiro scrambled to his feet and ran a few steps…

"Hiro, it's me! It's Katy!" she yelled again; her voice sounded clearly within the room. The boy froze.

Hiro slowly turned, looking at his pursuer. "Ms. Vio…?"

"Yes," she panted, shakily getting to her feet. "It's me… It's me, Hiro."

"Ms. Vio…!" Hiro's voice faltered; he ran forwards, throwing his arms around the exhausted young lady. "I can't believe it's you." Tears streamed down the young boy's face as he spoke in disbelief.

"What do y- Hiro, where have you _been…?_" Katy asked, heart sinking a little as she spotted the Timer on his palm; expected as it was, the sight did nothing to improve her spirits. She kneeled down and pulled the boy into a proper embrace. "How have you survived this long, Hiro?"

"I was so scared, Ms. Vio…" he choked out, gripping Katy tighter. "I'm so glad to see you again. P- please don't leave me alone," Hiro pleaded; his tiny frame shook uncontrollably, heaving with each sob.

A pained expression formed on the girl's face. "Shhh, I'm not going to leave you, Hiro, it's okay. It's okay, I'm here," she comforted, gently stroking his hair. She held the boy tight, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. She sat for a moment, regaining her composure. "Hiro," she said, finally, "you must have Pacted, right? Where's your Partner? Are they around here?"

Hiro's crying slowed. His body grew unnaturally still. "Ms. Vio…" he started, his voice quiet. "You know who my Partner is. It's sis."

The answer threw Katy. Silence filled the room; her throat clenched up; her mind couldn't find an appropriate response.

"Hey, Ms. Vio," Hiro spoke again, gently pulling away to look Katy in the eye. "Where… _is _sis?"

"I-…" Conflicting emotions swirled around within Katy. _She's gone._ The reminder felt like a dagger through the heart; though it was the correct answer, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Where's sis? I want to see her, Ms. Vio," Hiro repeated, his lips trembling; tears welling up in his eyes once more.

"Hiro, Koushi is…" Katy hesitated, feeling like a monster. Her voice cracked as she forced herself to finish. "Koushi's… She's gone, Hiro." _You know she is. You were there. We were both there._ "She… She's _been_ gone for…"

"Wh- what are you saying…?" Hiro stepped back, horrified. "What do you mean she's 'gone'? I don't get it."

"Hiro, I-"

A tear ran down the boy's face as he realised what Katy meant. He clutched his head and fell to his knees. "No… No, you said that we were all going to make it home. You promised…!" he was almost shouting now; Hiro tore at his hair, unable to accept what Katy was saying.

"Hiro-" Katy tried again, but she couldn't speak; her throat was so terribly dry. Her face twisted in anguish. "Hiro, I'm sorry, but-"

"You're s- _sorry?!"_ Hiro cried, glaring at Katy through his tears. "You promised we'd all be okay! You _lied_ to me! You're a _liar!"_ he screamed.

"No, I-…!" Before she could say anymore, however… a blade pierced through the boy's chest from behind. "_Hiro!"_

The boy's eyes widened in shock. He convulsed for a moment, looking down at the bloody weapon sticking out of him. "Ms… Vio…?" He went limp. His attacker carelessly ripped the blade back out; Hiro collapsed to the floor, lifeless. Bright red blood oozed out of his wound, pooling around him.

"Oh- Oh god…!" Katy fell to her knees, fighting the urge to throw up. She looked past the boy; standing behind Hiro's corpse was the Queen of CHECKMATE. And next to her, was the Rook. The Bishop. The Knight… and the King.

"M- Magokoro…?" The stench of iron hit Katy as she stared on in shock; she looked back down, only to see Koushi's body lying alongside her brother's; the siblings' cold, dead eyes gazed blankly into each other.

The blood had reached Katy, now; it soaked into her jeans. It was warm. Unsettlingly warm. "_Nngh…!"_ The girl's stomach twisted; the pain was unbearable. _Stop…!_

Muki smiled cruelly, stepping over the siblings' bodies to get to Katy.

"S- stay away!" she screamed, scrambling pathetically to her feet before running for the door. Someone blocked her way, however.

Kensei stared at the blood-soaked girl in horror, recoiling at the very sight of her. "Katy, what are you…?"

"K- Kensei…!" she choked out, panicking. "D- don't look in here!"

Too late, however. The man's gaze had already passed by the shuddering girl. "Koushi…? Hiro…!" Kensei breathed, eyes wide. "They're… no. What did you do…?" he asked, turning back to Katy. "What did you do…?!"

"It- It wasn't me, I swear, I…!" She was crying now; she pleaded and pleaded for it to stop, but the tears kept coming.

"I thought you were my friend…!" Kensei shouted, callously grabbing Katy's wrist. "You hid this from me! How could you _hide_ this from me?!"

"Y- you're hurting me…!" Katy sobbed. As she feebly attempted to pull his hand off her, however, more grabbed onto her from behind. She turned around. "Magokoro, let me go-" The words caught in her mouth; a bloody Hiro and Koushi had latched onto her legs and torso, staring at her with glassy eyes. "No, this isn't…!" Katy tried to tear her eyes away, but couldn't bring herself to. The ground shook as an earthquake hit; the building shuddered around them.

"Katy…"

"Ms. Vio…!"

"Katy…"

"Katy…!"

"Please- please stop…!" Katy cried, feeling herself sinking; everyone was pulling her down. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, please…!" The shaking hit its peak; Katy looked on in horror as the district outside began to crumble further; the ground cracked and split open, swallowing her up into a tight, jagged crevice. She screamed one last time before the rubble from above fell and crushed her, burying her in a suffocating, endless darkness.

Katy awoke with a start, bolting upright in her makeshift bed. Her heart hammered in her chest as she shook uncontrollably. Her clothes were drenched in a cold sweat. "_Haah… Haah…!_" Her breathing came in short, sharp gasps. Her eyes darting around the dimly lit room as she tried to calm herself. "Just-… Just a dream, you're okay… You're okay, you're okay, you're okay…" she muttered to herself over and over, tightly wrapping her arms around herself as she sat alone in the storeroom of the Wildkat Café.

* * *

"Almost there now," Kensei assured the five Players as they walked into the Underpass.

"We know where Miyashita Park is, Kensei," Yukiko muttered under her breath, flipping through her diary.

"Ach, this is gonna be great fun," Charlotte sang cheerfully, typing out a shorthand version of her words for Keita's sake. He smiled back briefly, before returning to walking silently along. "Feelin' pumped, Taka?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, absolutely!" Takaharu flashed a grin, turning to his Partner for a moment. "Right, Emma?"

"It's 'Ishikawa'."

"Well," Takaharu continued as if he'd heard nothing. "If you need any help once we're there, just say the word, Lottie!"

Barely stopping herself from pointing out that this was the fourth time he had made such an offer, Ishikawa allowed Takaharu and Charlotte to chat away, instead striding to the front of the group. "Leader," she called softly as she walked up next to him.

"Hm? What's up, Emma?" Kensei smiled, running his comb through his quiff.

"Are you absolutely sure she's alright?" She adjusted her glasses, worry seeping into her voice. "I know it's Katy we're talking about, but from what you said, the situation sounded quite dire. Not to mention that explosion…" She stopped, drawing her mouth into a thin line.

"Yes, well." Kensei stowed the comb away, a thoughtful expression on his face. "'course I'm worried, too. But at the same time, I know that she wouldn't have ran off alone without a plan, so…" He shrugged, then chuckled nervously. "Well, no point stressing. We gotta keep calm in situations like this, yeah?"

"Of course…" Though Ishikawa conceded, her expression remained troubled. She bit her lip. "I only wish that I could have followed you to help her-"

"Hey now," Kensei cut in, "_I'm_ the one who told you and Taka to head back to 104. 'sides, without you to support the rest of the team, who knows how much they could have panicked?"

Ishikawa lowered her head, remained silent. Several paces back, Takaharu quietly observed his Partner with a worried eye.

"Hey," Kensei spoke again. "It's not the first time this kind of thing has happened to her, if it makes you less worried. She'll definitely make it there," he assured.

Ishikawa looked up. "The Penalty Noise?"

"What? Oh, no," Kensei chuckled. "No, just in general, where there's been some emergency situation, and we've had to meet back up at the meeting place."

"Ah, yes," Ishikawa nodded. "That 'promise' you mentioned before we left 104."

"Yeah. Took me a little to get her to agree to it, but… Well, to elaborate," Kensei chuckled, "whenever something like say, a particularly dangerous Mission comes around, high Players casualties are reported, or in this case, the Penalty Noise show up… If it's enough to cause worry for her safety, I head straight to the Park, and wait for her to meet me there. Sometimes she gets there first, though," he chuckled again to lighten the mood. "It always plays out the same, really. She assures me that she's doing well, we have a nice chat, and that's that until next time."

"I meant to ask earlier, actually" Ishikawa raised an eyebrow. "How do you measure what's 'enough to cause worry'? What if something happens that seems 'serious' to one of you, but not to the other?"

"Ah, well. There have been uh," Kensei paused, counting up on his fingers before giving up. "Let's say one or two instances where I've gone to wait at the meeting place, she happens to walk by, hours later, and asks me what I'm doing-"

"_Hours?"_ Ishikawa repeated, her voice rising above her usual pitch and volume. She caught herself too late, clapping an indignant hand over her mouth with a frown.

"I usually ditch him at the 15-minute mark," Yukiko remarked, not looking up from her notebook. "20, if I'm feeling generous," she added with a smirk.

"I mean, you know," Kensei laughed awkwardly. "We know each other well enough so that we're usually on the same wavelength now, but…"

Ishikawa carefully observed the man's face for any indication that he was joking, but to her amusement, he seemed entirely serious. The smallest of smiles crept up on her face. "If… you don't mind me asking, what's an example of one of those times?"

"Uh. Well. Hmm…" Kensei thought hard. Or at least, appeared to; he tapped a finger against his chin a few times before sighing. "Man, it's been such a long time-"

"Three months ago," Yukiko cut in, reading off an entry in her diary. "We had a Mission to get to 104. Problem was, we _also_ had to be wearing clothing from the #1 Brand at the time- ugh, I kinda remember now," she broke off, recalling her annoyance with distaste. "We didn't have access to the Brand Chart for that one; sucked big-time."

"Yukiko, you really don't have to-"

"Anyway," she spoke over her Partner, "Kensei was absolutely _horrified,"_ (she indicated the underlined word in her diary before continuing), "that a wallflower like Katy wouldn't be up-to-date on what stuff was trending, and that she'd fail the Mission. We ran aaallllll the way to Miyashita Park and to help her. Wanna guess what happened, Ishikawa?" Yukiko grinned.

"I suppose Katy… had no problem with the Mission? And Leader waited on her for, well, 'hours'…?"

"Eh. Half-right," Yukiko's grin widened.

"Half?"

"So," she looked back down to her notebook, "not only did Katy clear the Mission; she came to the meeting place anyway, but _only_ to comfort Kensei, because she _knew_ he would be freaking out and worrying over her!" Yukiko slapped her leg, snorting as she remembered the feeling of hilarity.

"I see…" Ishikawa smiled lightly. "That's quite like Katy, to be so caring-"

"Oh, no, no, no," Yukiko interrupted, coughing as she tried to regain her breath. "That's not even the best part. Kensei? Wanna take this one, buddy?" she offered sarcastically, sniggering.

"Since when are you so cheerful, Yukiko?" Kensei sighed, running his hand through his hair to distract himself.

"Hey. Anytime we can gang up to dunk on you like this, I'm game," she snickered. "So? You wanna tell her, or should I?"

"Fine, fine," Kensei accepted, pouting a little. "So, she assured me that she had no trouble clearing the Mission. Then it turned out that _I_ actually had no idea what the trends were, so she had to be the one to help me out instead. Ha ha, hilarious," he recounted in monotone, walking a little bit faster. "There, happy?"

"Very," Yukiko acknowledged, jotting down this momentous occasion in her diary.

"To be fair," Kensei added, "you didn't know jack, either. And you're a girl. So yeah."

"Pfft. Sexist jerk," Yukiko shot back. "I just don't give a damn about 'fashion'. I wear what I wanna wear."

"It _is_ quite the roundabout way to check up on her," Ishikawa jumped in to prevent further argument. "A quicker, simpler way would be nice."

"It would, but you know Katy. Asocial butterfly, that one; especially in the last few months. Keeps to herself more than I like," Kensei sighed sadly. "I still haven't even met her Partner, you know. How crazy is that? After how long we've been playing the Game, and all."

"Yes… I haven't either, actually," Ishikawa noted, thinking back to the few times Katy's Partner had come up.

"Hmm. Well, anyway. We're here," Kensei announced, stepping into Miyashita Park; though the weather had scared off any citizens in the RG, there were certainly a small number of Players scattered around the area. "Still a little rain, but that's fine, We'll have that training session while we wait for Katy. First off, though, Lottie, Keita," he turned to the back of the group; the pair perked up. "Let's get you stocked up before the First Mission arrives."

* * *

"_Psychokinesis,"_ Katy tried again, holding her palm out. Her shoulder bag rustled, slowly rising off the floor; after gaining about an inch's worth of air, however, it began to tremble, then promptly fell back into its place. _I can't maintain my Psychs._ Katy grimaced at the realisation, then moved to stand from the mattress. "_Nngh…!"_ Sharp pain shot through her muscles as she shifted her weight. Her mind now fully roused from the depths of sleep, she recalled the bits of memory that had made their way into her dream; the trek from the alleyway to here had been short, but painful. Very painful. _My entire body… The effects of the Lv. i._ With some effort, the struggling girl managed to walk over to some crates in the corner. _The Reapers got a good, long look at me, so… _Rummaging through the crate's numerous contents, Katy picked out a distinctly different outfit. After changing, she laid her old clothes out on the floor before her. "_Pyrokinesis,"_ she muttered, snapping her fingers. A spark ignited a small tuft of flame at her fingertips; it sputtered feebly for only a second before extinguishing itself, however. "Tch. _Pyro…!"_ After several more attempts, the heap of clothing finally caught fire, burning steadily into static. "Right," she whispered to herself. "On to Mr. Tezano." Katy gingerly stepped towards the exit, wincing as she went. Suddenly, she stopped, turning back as she remembered something. After a moment's hesitation, she returned to one of the crates, carefully going through its contents. Inside, she found what she was looking for; a bundle of cloth. Carefully unwrapping it, the young woman took a moment of silence to look upon what she had stashed inside. Koushi's cuff bangle sat in her hands, shiny and clean as ever.

Katy felt her stomach lurch a little as she recalled the nightmare she'd just experienced, but the feeling quickly passed. _That one was worse than usual. I must be tired._ Gazing into the polished silver, the girl examined her face; her reflection smiled, giving Katy an encouraging look. Katy managed to smile back. Safely stowing the bangle away in her shoulder bag, she made for the exit once more. _It's raining,_ she realised. The same thick rain from her dream poured down from the skies, drenching a good area of the district outside. Cautiously, the young girl peered out the dirty window of the storefront. _To be expected…_ she grimaced; a handful of Harriers patrolled the streets and skies, searching carefully for the Rogue Player.

* * *

**A friend?**

Keita jumped up from the park bench as Charlotte's Phone lowered in front of his face. He spun around to see his ever-smiling Partner standing behind him. The young boy looked back down to his camera, instinctively hiding the screen. "You… You saw?" he asked timidly, cheeks flush in embarrassment.

Charlotte nodded, her face falling a little. She said a single word, before quickly typing out a new message.

**Sorry. That okay?**

"N- no, it's fine. Sorry. Just didn't notice you there," Keita shook his head, watching intently as his Partner typed yet another message out.

**Can I see?**

Keita pursed his lips. An absent-minded hand rose up to pull at his hair. Charlotte tilted her head expectantly. "Um. Okay. Here." With the care of a parent handing over their child, Keita slowly, nervously took the camera off his neck, passing it over to the excited-looking girl.

Energetic as she was, Charlotte took the time to loop the strap around her own neck before examining the camera itself. Keita relaxed a little, greatly appreciating the respect. He tensed back up immediately, however, at the sight of Charlotte bursting into a fit of laughter. "Um. Sorry, I look really dumb, I know…"

Charlotte stopped laughing, an incredulous look on her face.

**What? The two of you look magic! Cute as anything! -**

The girl plopped herself onto the bench, pulling Keita down to sit next to her.

"Wh- hey…!" he stammered, caught off-guard. The girl angled the camera so that they could both see the display. Keita grimaced as he saw his face; eyes wide, mouth open, it was clear that he had not been ready for the photo when it had been taken. Beside him was a young man with blonde hair and deep blue eyes; a wide grin stretched across his face as he held Keita securely in a one-armed hug.

**So? Friend? Boyfriend? :O**

Charlotte stared Keita down, practically vibrating on the spot with excitement.

"What- _no,_ not like that, we're just friends!" Keita corrected, shaking his head so fast that he dizzied himself.

**Tell me about him? About the pair of you.**

"He's- you know. He's my best friend, but…" Keita mumbled, trailing off. "That's basically it."

Charlotte pouted.

**C'mon, Keets. We're gonna be Partners for a loooooooong time. I wanna get to know you before anything else, okay?**

Keita blinked, unsure of how to respond. Charlotte waited patiently, smiling as she swayed and bounced around. "Okay, well. Maybe a little" He looked upwards. Where to start? "So actually… I'm only half Japanese; I moved over here from America a year ago because of…" he trailed off, noting Charlotte's interested expression. "… family stuff. So, uh. This involved changing schools, obviously. I joined my new school midway through the year as a transfer student, and I… met him there." He smiled a little as he recalled the memory. "Um. Am I talking about myself too much? Sorry," he added quietly.

Charlotte shook her head, fingers hammering down upon her phone keyboard with newfound vigour.

**No, that's brilliant! Real happy for you.  
How'd you two become friends, then? Were you studying similar things?**

"Kind of. Actually, he came up to me because he was _also_ a transfer student from America. Nice coincidence, huh? I'm kinda… not very good at the whole 'making friends' thing. And I was already stressed about uh, a lot of other things with the move, so…" Keita paused looking down. "When he just decided to march up to me and say, 'hey! We should be friends!'," Keita let a short, quiet chuckle out. "I uh… I really, really appreciated that. He's always been there when I needed him, since. You, um… remind me a lot of him, actually," Keita noted, glancing nervously over to his Partner.

Charlotte's eyebrows raised up; she pointed to herself, saying a single word. 'Me?', unless Keita was mistaken.

"Yeah. You both, um…" he trailed off, tugging self-consciously at a lock of his hair.

"You both… have the same kind of smile. If that makes sense," he quickly added, looking away in embarrassment.

_Good job, me. Way to make it weird._

After a few seconds of self-loathing, Keita turned back to Charlotte, only to see her holding his camera out, smiling that same wide smile.

**That was really sweet, Keets. Thank you for sharing, yeah?**

"Oh, uh… It's no problem," he mumbled, quietly taking the device back. … _Tell me something about yourself?_ The question formed easily as anything in his mind, but as usual, Keita found himself too anxious to vocalise it. He simply looped the camera's strap around his neck, and sat there quietly. A second later though, he noticed Kensei walking over, alone; a cluster of Pins sat in his hand.

* * *

"Huh. You see that?" the Harrier asked, maintaining a steady altitude as he peered upon the Ruins from above.

"What is it now?" his friend, a Support Harrier, groaned, no longer bothering to hide his exasperation.

"Thought I saw something move down there," he pointed to a gap between two buildings, squinting as he stared at the spot through the rain. "Let's go che-."

"Beej, this is like, the tenth time you've 'seen something', man," the Support shook his head. "Let's just call it. The Rogue Player's long gone."

"Tenho, come on," Beej, or rather BJ, insisted. "I promise I saw something this time. Let's just check it out real quick, okay?"

"Dude, we've been searching for ages. If you and the others," he indicated to the other Reapers scattered about the district, "want to keep searching, go right for it. I'm gonna report that we couldn't find anything, then get back to practice. You're free to join," he shrugged, soaring off with a flap of his wings.

"Wait, Tenho!" BJ protested, but his request went ignored. He glanced back towards the alleyway; a couple of broken boxes, a tattered tarp, and a garbage bin rattling in the wind sat there. The longer he thought on it, the more foolish he felt. "Argh," the Harrier threw his head back, then made to follow his friend. "Alright, Tenho, wait up!"

Far below, a pale hand lifted the edge of the tarp from beneath. Katy peered out, looking upwards at where the pair of Reapers had just been. _Gone? I suppose they didn't spot me after all._ After a quick survey of the sky, the girl crawled out from under the tarp, keeping low. Taking care not to trip on the bits of garbage and rubble littering the narrow space, she walked farther into the alleyway. _Main streets are far too wide. I'll have to find another side-street._ Reaching the end of the alley, she peeked around the corner. _Two on the ground. One in the sky._ Clicking her tongue, the girl went back the way she came. _Hm?_ She looked down at the numerous bricks and fragments of stone she had stepped over. Then, she looked up, examining the adjacent apartment block; two stories up, she saw… _A hole?_ _I can probably…_ Slowly, carefully, Katy tensed her legs… then jumped. "Nngh." Her fingers caught the edge of the opening nicely; her arm muscles cried out, however, straining to hold her weight. _Come on…!_ With some struggle, the girl managed to pull herself up. She rolled onto her back, panting; her arms already felt fatigued and sore. Sitting up, she took a few seconds to steady herself; then she was back on her feet_._

Walking around a dusty, unmade bed, she reached for the door handle, stopping as she noticed a photo frame on a bedside table. Though also caked in dust, a picture of a smiling couple and child could be made out. _A family lived here… _Katy bit her lip, and turned away; opening the door, she stepped out into the living room. _Nice and dry in here._ Staggering over to the front door, the girl laid her hand upon the doorknob… _Jammed._ Pursing her lips, she pressed her palm against the wood. "_Shock."_ The Psych weakly rattled the door, but otherwise made no difference. Katy frowned. _Because it's a Lv. 1? No. It's just that I still can't…_ Clicking her tongue in frustration, the girl vainly pulled at the door one last time, then walked around the room, finding a large, broken window to peer out of

A block away stood a tall, extravagant tower of glass and steel; an almost unreasonably sturdy hotel that seemed to have received almost no damage from the earthquake, contrasting strongly with the ruined scenery surrounding it. _Almost there,_ Katy reassured herself, scanning the dark back alley below before steeling herself. _You can make it._ After a few preparatory breaths, the girl leapt out the window, preparing for impact with the ground… "_!"_ She hit the concrete, and her legs instantly buckled upon impact. The rest of her body soon followed; biting back a yelp of pain as she smacked into the ground, the weakened girl tumbled a short distance before slamming into the front of one of the many dumpsters lining the opposite wall. A portion of the overloaded bin's contents spilled out; cardboard and plastic clattered upon the concrete, whilst assorted glassware smashed to pieces upon impact instead. _Quickly, get up…!_ Agony ran through her whole body, slowing her already sluggish movements even further.

Rapid footsteps sounded out from the street outside; someone was approaching.

_Come on, move!_ With some serious effort, Katy barely managed to right herself, sitting against the side of the dumpster just as the footsteps stopped at the end of the alley. For a moment, the girl considered peeking around the dumpster. _Don't,_ she stopped herself, _dark as the alley is, there's no way he'll miss your head poking out like that._

"Hey," a brutish voice boomed out over the pouring rain. "Someone there?"

Katy grit her teeth, scrambling to form a plan as the footsteps slowly began to approach once more. _A Player, maybe? As if I'd be so lucky. I'll just wait until he gets a little closer, then… Wait._ The footsteps had stopped again. Had the man stopped walking? Or maybe… _No. He's flying so that I can't hear him…! I need to confirm his position._ The girl's gaze darting all about, her eyes landed on the broken glass beside her. _That'll work._ Carefully scooping a shard up, she slowly slid it around the corner, staring into its reflection. _There he is…!_

Just as she had assumed, the Harrier was floating mere inches off the ground, his entire body tense; handgun drawn, he slowly, patiently glided forwards, thoroughly combing the shadowy alley with his eyes as he went.

Katy glanced to her fingers, gingerly attempting to flex them. The fall hadn't done any favours for her body, it seemed; a dull pain radiated from her entire limb when she moved. She looked back to the glass. _He's staying on-guard. I don't think I can move fast enough to jump him from here… I'll have to time this just right._ Biting her lip, Katy pressed herself further into the shadow of the dumpster, waiting patiently for the Reaper to float closer… _Not yet. _Closer… _Just a little more._ Closer still… _Don't panic…!_ And just as the Reaper came within a couple of paces of her, the girl focused on a plastic container on the ground behind him. _Please move. "Psycho,"_ she whispered. For a moment, nothing happened… but then, the container lifted up for a second… _Perfect._ The next, it fell back down onto the ground, hitting it with a clatter.

"_Wh-!?"_ The Reaper spun around in surprise, eyes wild.

_Now!_ Grabbing a brick off the ground, Katy reared back, ignoring the tearing sensation in her muscles. "_Repulsor…!"_ The Psych took effect immediately this time; the Reaper spun around once more to face Katy, only to receive a devastating, Psych-enhanced strike to the side of the temple. The brick exploded into powder from the force of the blow; the Reaper himself fell, hitting the ground with a thud. Katy, too, collapsed, falling in a heap next to the man. Harsh, ragged breaths escaped her body as she tried desperately to push herself up. _You need to get up! "Rrrrrgh…!"_ Despite feeling something snap inside her body, Katy managed to roll over onto her back; she raised a palm to defend herself… but no need; the Reaper remained as he was on the ground, out cold. The girl stared at the man's unmoving form for a moment, then sprawled out on the cold ground, allowing herself a moment to catch her breath.

* * *

_Bang!_

The pebble exploded midair, just as all that came it before had done; the dust leftover quickly scattered into the breeze.

"Bullseye again, Emma," Takaharu whistled, adjusting his visor as he gazed up at the clearing skies. "You're fifty for fifty; wanna take a break? Rain's letting up, so maybe we can grab something… to eat…" Looking back down to his Partner, he stopped.

The young lady stood completely unmoving, gazing blankly up at where her target had just been.

Takaharu's eyes narrowed. Dropping his handful of pebbles back on the ground, he trotted over to the girl. "Yo. Earth to Emma?"

"Hm? Ah, yes?" she stammered, snapping back into reality.

"I helped you out with target practice and all, you know. Least you could do is not ignore me," he chuckled.

"Yes… My apologies." Ishikawa brought her expression back to neutral, turning to walk away. "Wait here. I'll fetch something for you from Leader's-"

"Hey," Takaharu ran over, softly grabbing her wrist. "What's up? You're really out of it."

Ishikawa turned back to look at the young man. "Nothing. I'm just slightly fatigued." Gently taking her arm back, she pointed over to where Kensei, Charlotte, and Keita were standing. "Go ahead and relax with the others; I'll bring you that food for your trouble, alright?"

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Takaharu declined politely, staying where he was. "If you wanna thank me, how about telling me what's on your mind?"

"Takaharu, I said I'm alright. I don't need your help, so…!" Ishikawa's heart beat a little faster; her voice had risen a little as she insisted on the point again. Before she could fully compose herself, however…

"It's about Katy this time, isn't it?"

"Yeah, what about it?" The retort came immediately after the question had been asked. Ishikawa clapped a hand over her mouth once more, glaring at Takaharu. "Entry Fee, Takaharu," she reminded him, her words slightly muffled.

"I know," Takaharu nodded sadly. "You… don't have to say anything, then. Just listen at least? Please?"

Ishikawa's gaze softened upon seeing her Partner's expression. After some thought, she lowered her hand. "… Alright. What is it?"

"I just wanna say… I get it. We all owe Katy for different reasons, but I feel like you in particular are really worrying over her, since you've always felt very, um… 'close' to her, is the word, I guess. It's not just that, though. The increase of Noise, lately. And especially Jun being…" Takaharu's expression faltered for a second. "… Jun's Erasure. It's affecting you, but that's okay; you should talk about it. Tell me how you feel for once, you know?" he asked, his eyes sincere. "It's… _Everyone's_ thinking about it. I just feel like all of these things piling up are too much for you to handle. And," he broke off, laughing nervously, "you know that means something when I'm saying that about you."

Ishikawa drew a quick breath to speak… but simply shook her head. "Leader's doing his best for everyone. So I have to as well."

"It's not the same," Takaharu pressed. "He's keeping a straight face for everyone _because_ he's the leader. But even he'll talk to Yukiko, at least, about his feelings when he's ready. I don't wanna be rude, but… if I don't ask you about it now, while it's fresh… I feel like you'll just bottle it up forever. Because that's what you do. Why else would your Entry Fee be what it is?" Takaharu frowned uncomfortably, pulling his visor down a little, and staring at the ground.

Ishikawa stared at her Partner, feeling conflicted. For a moment, she thought back to her life before she had died; an image of her parents flickered through her mind, but she quickly suppressed the memory. After a few more seconds of silence, she asked a question. "Takaharu, why do you ca-… Why are you so insistent on this?" Her tone softened by the smallest amount. It was slightly more emotional now; more human.. "We've known each other for so long. You know that I don't…" The young lady sighed, unsure of how to talk about herself. "That I'm… not the kind of person to do that. I'm capable of handling these sorts of situations."

"I know you _can,"_ Takaharu acknowledged. "But it's not like you aren't hurting on the inside like everyone else. You just don't let it show. Sometimes it feels like you _want_ to, but you just… can't."

Ishikawa stiffened at that last observation; she hardened her expression before Takaharu could notice, however.

"Look, just…" Takaharu sighed, standing straight. "I do care about you. You're my Partner, you know? You're my friend, too. And I'm yours, I hope?" Throwing the joke in to lighten the mood, Takaharu let out a small laugh. "Could you at least… just _consider_ opening up to me a little more? You don't have to talk about how you feel right now, okay? Maybe a little later, if you can. That would mean more to me than a handkerchief, or some food, Emma," he added, smiling.

As her Partner's words hit, Ishikawa felt a small pang of emotion for a moment. Instinctively, the young lady crushed down the feeling and brushed it off… but not entirely. "… Okay. If you're insisting, Takaharu." Adjusting her glasses, she gathered herself, returning to her usual manner. "I'll… give it some thought. Oh, and…" she looked him in the eye, giving the faintest of smiles. "It's not 'Emma'. It's 'Ishikawa'. Yes?"

Takaharu stared back in awe for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Whoa! Did you seriously just tell a _joke,_ Emma?"

"No- It's not a joke," Ishikawa frowned. "I would in fact prefer that you refer to me as such."

"Aww, come on, you could let it slide at least once…!" The two bickered for a short while longer; Ishikawa's short, calm answers were drowned out by the sound of Takaharu's laughter echoing through Miyashita Park.

The rain had stopped.

* * *

"Well, isn't that nice?" Kensei mumbled to himself as he looked up at the sunlight shining out from behind the dispersing, overcast clouds. "Good to see you again, Mr. Sun," he smiled, making his way to a nearby bench. "'scuse me," he gave a friendly nod to a Player already sitting on the bench, leaving a comfortable gap between them as he sat. The man exhaled, watching Charlotte and Keita trying out the Pins he had handed over. _It'll be tricky, but… I think they can do it. It's just a matter of willpower._ His eyes narrowed on the young man specifically. He fumbled with the metal discs in his hand, nervously trying to work them out as his Partner cheered him on. _Kid's got potential; he could probably cast Psychs on our level in no time… The issue is his self-confidence. Once that's out of the way, then…_ His train of thought was interrupted, however; glancing to the side, he realised that the other Player on the bench was now sitting right next to him. "Uh… Can I help you?" he chuckled nervously, considering shuffling back a little. The Player wore a dark, hooded poncho atop a thin, black pullover and jeans, making it difficult to discern their expression.

"Kensei," the Player whispered, "don't make any sudden moves, alright?"

"Wh- excuse me?" Despite his confusion, he did as the Player said. "Uh. So, what's up…?" he checked, casually casting his gaze around the area as he did so.

"Harriers. Entrance of the Park."

Kensei's eyes innocently wandered over to said entrance. Sure enough, a pair of Reapers stood there, silently watching the scattered Players in the Park from afar. "I see 'em. They causin' you grief, or…?"

"They think I'm in the area, so they're still looking for me."

"'Still'…?" Kensei paused, gears turning in his head. "… Hold on, you're…!"

"Yes, of course it's me…! Do I really need to raise my voice for you to recognise it?" The Player adjusted her hood to better show her face; hazel eyes stared out into Kensei's rust-coloured eyes.

"Katy…!" Kensei barely managed to keep his voice down, breaking into a smile. "You made it out after all. I'm so glad you're safe…!" Noticing her expression, however, his smile fell. "What's wrong? You okay?"

"Sorry. First," Katy's eyes continued to survey the area. "I don't see Kitaoka. Is she alright?"

"She's fine; just holed up in the base," he glanced to an abandoned apartment block at the border of Miyashita Park and the Ruins. "What about you? You look…" the man paused, grimacing, "… like something happened."

Katy continued to stare into the distance, her expression fraught with worry and turmoil. "Well, I… paid a visit to Mr. Tezano."

"That's the uh… Scientist guy you're friends with?"

"Yes, that's him," Katy nodded shakily. "I'll need to catch you up on some things first, but… " her mind wandered briefly to the mysterious blonde woman, then to the unpleasant events surrounding her excursion to Tezano's headquarters. "There's something that I found out while I was over there. Something you should know."

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_**New Day: Part III - Threads Backstage**_

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**Not much to say today, other than thank you for reading! ****If you're enjoying the story/have any feedback, I'd love to know :**

**Until the next chapter, though, take care of and be kind to yourselves!**

**-X**


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